#Bela dimitrescu x ofc

[valleynix]

Summary:

It wasn't the brightest idea you've had, you suppose, to follow the strange words of the peasants in that village. You didn't understand them, but in your desperation to find your lost brother, you weren't thinking clearly. He had always been there for you, and wasn't it about time you repaid him?

It was never going to be that easy. The tall, terrifying woman in that dark castle was going to make your life a living hell.

*the angsty gay thoughts fic has been posted :3

[kurosstuff]

Monster au! Event

@scoutswritingcorner helped me pick out the monsters♡ thank you darling

So wanted to do something- a monster au where the ladies are monsters-

It csn be smut, fluff, angsty and in some cases? Horror♡

Ofc look at my nsfw rules before requesting any nsfw.

PLEASE NOTE. THIS IS OPEN UNTIL FRIDAY. TIME NOT SURE AT THIS TIME

For the wheel, you can pick to spin- OR request a monster for the ladies you wish-! And please describe exactly what you want for the fic!

This time around- sub!reader only. And- your welcome to either have the reader as a human in most fics or monster hunter/monster

Like example. X bunny! Monster!reader; x monster hunter! Reader;

Unless stated reader will be human!

Also! If you want to request more then one reader you may! But- not character x character and only TWO

Example: lute x reader x sera

PLEASE, when requesting for this event. Use this emoji ✨️ so I can spot it easier!

ALSO REMEMBER. READER IS AFAB WILL USE GN IF STATED

This is what fhe wheel looks like!!♡♡

To be easier- monster list

Dragon

Gorgon

Siren

Zombie(only monster I will NOT write smut for.)

Vampire

Bunny

Ghost

Werewolf

(My choice)

Characters you can pick from

Lute

Sera

Vaggie

Rosie

Charlie

Bela Dimitrescu

Cassandra Dimitrescu

Daniela Dimitrescu

Mother miranda

Note: never wrote a couple of the ladies stated really. But I'll give my best shot at it(hazbin wise I mean) ans I'm trying to get back into resident evil once again♡

Up to two(unless it's the scene prompt) then up to three lines please ♡

Smut prompt lines

1.) "Want you now~ can't fucking wait~ gonna claim what's mine now~"

2.) "Ive- I've never..."

"..we'll.. take it slow then~ I'll do My best to be careful~"

3.) "Sl-slow down~ to fast~"

"Slow down~? Little ___(human/monster type) you walked in during mating season ~ not stopping till your filled~"

4.) "Stop fucking moving~ just gonna claim you as my mate~ make you rightfully mine~"

"Wh-whats stopping you~?"

"..watch those words little one~"

5.) Aggressive make out turned to more (enemies to lovers or whatever)

6.) Accidentally wandering into dangerous territory during a mating season. Getting "hunted" by a monster who redeemed you as a suitable mate

7.) "Prefer my hand or cock(strap or G!P)? Either way your getting it after-"

8.) "Curious. Can you take my dick?(either strap Or G!P) suppose we can try no?

9.) Accidently *tempting* the beast that just happens to guard your town/home. Being offered up to 'sooth' their temper.

10.) "Wait- wait this is my first-"

"First time? ....shit ok uh- hold on le- let me take it much slower ok? I- I've got you"

[asphyxiateher]

Only Monsters Come Out At Night

Chapter 2: Say My Name. A/N: Rough draft I’ll be posting to AO3 later after I go through the edits. Enjoy now, I’ll be polishing it later. I personally would let Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters step on me but that’s just me

Warnings: Character death, graphic descriptions of violence, gore, horror. Elements of non-con. 

              Time had no meaning for Desdemona anymore as her entire being floated comfortably into a quiet void. She was only accompanied by the sweet sound of silence that filled her ears and that in itself was comforting. She was in such a deep state of sleep that it felt like she would be trapped in the peaceful state of purgatory for eternity, but alas that would no longer be the case. Desdemona thought she was dead; in fact, she wanted nothing more than for that to be the case. Unluckily for her, she was about to wake to unfortunate events that would lead her to believe she was trapped in Hell. At first, she sees nothing in her field of vision but then she hears the shrill sound of familiar laughter that sends a shiver down her spine. The black abyss she grew accustomed to deteriorated all around her, a blinding flash of white light surrounds her for the briefest of moments before Desdemona’s eyes finally opened to reveal the disturbing scene before her. “Mother, my pet is finally awake! Oh, I was growing ever so impatient, my darling little one. I was so desperate to peer into those gorgeous eyes of yours again, I was tempted to pluck them out of your skull as you slept.” A voice whispered dangerously into her ears behind her, wet lips gently wrapping around her right ear before it was released with a pop. “Cassandra, you foul thing, learn your place! How many times do I have to say that it was I who found our prize? Do not touch what does NOT belong to you!” Screeched the woman with the green pendant as she materialized by her side in an instant. It didn’t take long for the fact to register that this was the first time that Desdemona could finally get a better look at the women who attacked the group in the village. Now that their hoods were down, she could better identify them by not only their hair color but by the manner of which they spoke and the pendants they wore. The way they continued to fight over her made her stomach turn as she struggled to comprehend why they wanted her alive and what they were going to do with her.

Another black mass of insects appeared and disintegrated into nothing just as quickly as the third woman decided to chime in, her yellow pendant gleaming brightly against the dimly lit room. Her dirtied, dark brown hair tickled Desdemona’s face as she leaned dangerously over her, the smirk on her face growing wider when Desdemona’s breath grew heavy again. She raised her hand and playfully walked two fingers up Desdemona’s arm and over her collarbone before she roughly grasped her prey’s chin and forced her to look directly into her eyes. “Hello, pretty little plaything, you’ll find that my sisters lack manners when they’re lusting over irresistible blood. You should feel honored you made quite the impression as you did. The others you brought with you are undeserving of your company and you’ll find that they deserve punishment simply by existing. Mother will see to that soon enough.” The brunette told her quietly as she straightened back up.

‘Wait, what did she mean by punishing the others for simply existing? Where were Desmond and Veronica?’ Desdemona worriedly thought to herself. The younger Hawthorne sibling attempted to move but she didn’t realize her wrists were restrained by old fashioned shackles until it was too late. She suddenly felt herself being lifted to her feet by the two crazed sisters standing on either side of her. Each woman occasionally nuzzled into her neck and sniffed at her, nipping at her and licking exposed skin whenever the impulse struck.

Desdemona glanced around her environment and realized that they must be inside the castle if the polished flooring, centuries old artwork and beautiful grand staircase were of any indication. Where else would they be after getting lost out on the trail?

The frightened young woman made the mistake of looking over to her left and found that the red-haired woman known as Daniela was staring at her with a glazed look in her eyes. The sight of her lips parting and blowing her a small kiss made Desdemona’s heart nearly jump out of her throat. She couldn’t avert her gaze out of fear and Daniela took that as an invitation to flirt the only way she knew how. She brought two fingers to her face, spaced them out to a “V” shape and made an obscene gesture with her unusually long tongue, moaning loudly when Desdemona blushed and looked away. “Don’t be shy, my love. Once we take care of Mother’s unwanted pests, we can finally be alone together and I’ll taste you once and for all. You’ll find that I do want to eat you but only in the best way possible. You wouldn’t deny me the pleasure, would you?” Daniela growls out, her eyes fluttering shut as the sound of Desdemona’s blood rushing through her veins and her rapidly beating heart thudding against her chest awakened a whole new need in Daniela. Desdemona wanted to cry out but refrained from doing so when she realized somebody else was coming.

Heels could be heard clicking from afar, a door slamming open and voices shouting in protest behind what seemed to be an impossibly tall, statuesque women. Desdemona’s jaw dropped for two reasons: The woman who entered the room dramatically exuded such class and confidence that it didn’t look awkward in the manner in which she had to bend so far low to pass through the doorway. When she uncurled herself from the uncomfortable position, her golden eyes met gray uncertain ones and they immediately pierced through Desdemona’s soul. The woman brought out a whole new level of terror within her. The second reason Desdemona’s mouth remained agape was due to the fact that the mysterious woman dragged along the wounded bodies of both Desmond and Veronica.

‘They’re still alive!’ Desdemona thought, hope rising in her chest the moment she saw both her best friend and twin reacting to her presence. “Des, you’re okay! Christ, the way these fucking things were talking about you, I thought the worst happened.” Desmond called out to her, desperation in his voice as he attempted to crawl his way towards his sister. Veronica tried to break free from the intimidating woman’s grasp but the woman merely raised a perfectly manicured brow in response and tugged on the chains wrapped around both Desmond and Veronica. They had collars clasped tightly around their necks and they choked as a result of the chains being pulled back.

When Veronica glanced back at Desdemona, the furious expression on her face softened when she noticed the bedraggled state her friend was in. Desmond noticed it too and it only served to fuel his anger. “What the fuck did they do to you? I’ll kill them, I’ll slit their fucking throats and make them pay if they so much as tried to ra-,” Veronica began but was immediately cut off with a harsh slap to the face. “Goddamn, bitch!” “Silence, vermin! Speak when you’re spoken to or you’ll learn your place soon enough should you continue to use foul language in my house. Now, pray tell my daughters, what is it that has you all so eager about entertaining this particular foreigner?” The elegant woman asks as she gives Desdemona a once over. The manner in how she reacts to inhaling Desdemona’s scent alarms the younger Hawthorne sibling. She decides to inspect her more closel with flared nostrils and enlarged pupils. She seemed…pleased, for whatever reason. ‘Do they plan on sacrificing you to appease whatever wicked deity they believe in?’ Desdemona nervously asked herself.

One of the daughters, the one known as Bela and the one with the red pendant, spoke first. “We were out on the hunt in the village when I suddenly picked up on her delicious scent, mother. She’s a carrier of our favorite blood type. We haven’t had anyone like her in so long, we were hoping we could make a feast of her with your permission.”

Desdemona tensed up at the suggestion and vigorously shook her head. “M-may I ask what w-we did to offend you and your daughters? I apologize for any wrongdoing, ma’am but we’re just Americans on vacation and we ran out of gas on the way to Bran! We weren’t expecting to get lost but please let us go, we didn’t come out here to hurt anyone!” She pleaded with tears streaming down her cheeks, her eyes flicking from Daniela to Cassandra and finally, the incredibly powerful woman standing before.

“Des, don’t go begging them. They’re not going to listen to reason, believe me; we tried!” Desmond warned.

The quiet dark-haired woman, Cassandra, sneered at Desdemona’s twin and slashed at his face with her sickle in hand. Desmond cries out and attempts to cover his face with his cuffed hands only to have them ripped away. She kicks his chest and flattens him on the ground. Cassandra smiles wickedly as she brings her heel to the open cut and presses hard against his face for a moment, stomping on him a few times for good measure. Both Veronica and Desdemona scream, begging the sadistic sister to stop tormenting him but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

“Good, girl, Cassandra. The hideous man-thing won’t shut his hole. I’m this close to gutting him on my newly polished floor and letting you girls get your fill for the evening. Ugh!” The woman in charge said before looking over to you once again. “It seems your exotic little treat has good manners considering what she is, however, and wishes to bargain with us. I can be a most gracious host and I’m all ears but I have two conditions if you wish to prolong your life, little one. Allow me to introduce myself first. I am Countess Alcina Dimitrescu and these beautiful girls of mine are my daughters Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela.”  

Veronica scoffed and spat at the floor, earning a glare from the titan of a woman who was apparently on the edge of snapping. Desdemona was ready to leave in one piece so of course she stepped in and spoke on behalf of her brother and her furious friend. “P-pleasure to meet you all, I’m Desdemona Hawthorne and that’s my twin brother, Desmond and my childhood friend Veronica. Ma’am, or My Lady, this all has to be a colossal misunderstanding and we are willing to pay any price if you allow us to leave and return home.”

The trembling girl gasped the moment she felt a pair of cold hands wrap themselves around her breasts from behind. Another set of hands reached for her belt buckle and began undoing her jeans rather enthusiastically. The next thing she knew, her v-neck shirt had been torn in half and her pants torn and ripped off her body.

“Desdemona, such a lovely name and what a lovely body. Mother, please let me keep her? I promise I won’t break her.” Daniela whined as she rubbed her hands up and down the length of her victim’s bare torso. It didn’t help the situation at hand when Daniela’s touch left Desdemona arching back into her, which must have sent the wrong signal because the delusional woman squealed with delight.

“If you or Cassandra had it your way, you’d bleed her dry on the first night and waste her blood when I would savor every inch of her until her very last moment!” Bela complained, her fingers inching dreadfully closer to the band of her undergarments.

“Get your filthy fucking hands off my sister, you twisted bitches. Stop fucking touching her! I’ll kill you, I swear it!” Desmond bellowed, managing to pull away from Lady Dimitrescu’s clutches and lunged at the women that were touching his twin inappropriately. He swung his arms at Daniela and used the length of the chain to whip against the side of her body. Daniela, caught off guard by his sudden attack, screeched in surprise and this immediately angered Alcina.

“ENOUGH!” Lady Dimitrescu signaled for her daughters to apprehend Desmond and the girls obliged, their concern for Daniela overwhelming even to them. Bela and Cassandra ambushed him on either side and using their transformative powers, they pulled him away from their youngest sibling and slammed his body against the nearest wall. Cassandra pinned his shackled hands above his head while Bela held onto his thrashing legs tightly.

Veronica was breathing heavily but made no move to run to him, not while Alcina held her leash tightly. Her brows were furrowed, teeth gnawing at her bottom lip as she tried to refrain from saying anything that would cause them to harm Desmond.

Desdemona could only cry out for mercy as it physically pained her to watch her own twin suffer at the hands of these monsters.

Meanwhile, Alcina had been hunched over Daniela and whispered disturbingly soothing things into her daughter’s ears, words expressed by a loving mother to her daughter, and it looked almost normal. When Alcina stepped away from Daniela, she composed herself after displaying what she deemed a moment of vulnerability and shot Desmond a withering glare. “How dare you touch my daughter with your filthy man-hands, you wretched creature. I can see there is no taming a wild animal like you and like all wild animals, they must be put down! I was ready to lay down my conditions if I were to let you leave alive but you really screwed yourself. Desdemona Hawthorne, seeing as you were polite and tried to communicate in a manner I found pleasing, you shall be gifted to my daughters as their personal form of entertainment. You will be their plaything, and your trashy friend, Veronica, who is now under my employ as a house maiden, will be forced to clean you up after every time they choose to play with you. She will be beaten and broken until she learns what it is to be obedient.” Alcina growls out menacingly, enjoying the way Veronica begins to hyperventilate at the terrifying concept of being broken in by someone like Lady Dimitrescu. Alcina drags Veronica across the room as she approaches Desmond and Veronica is now desperately trying to claw her away from the elegant countess. Raising her free hand in the air, sharp elongated claws form almost immediately at the tips of her fingers. It was in this moment that panic begins to set within Desdemona as she realizes what she’s about to do and so she attempts to rush Lady Dimitrescu. Daniela is quick to catch her prey and uses force to subdue Desdemona. She slams her knee against Desdemona’s back and brings her down to her knees, hooking both of her arms from around and underneath the smaller girl and forcefully raises her arms up. “Let this be a hard lesson, my darling. Don’t you ever disrespect my mother in her own home or disobey her when she gives you an order. There are worst things than death, love, and they wander the mansion unsupervised at night.” Daniela whispers into Desdemona’s ears before bringing her attention back to her mother. Heart hammering against her chest, Desdemona’s blood runs cold when she sees Desmond shed a tear at the realization that he was going to pay the ultimate price. In a quivering voice, Desmond beckons his sister to look at him one final time.

‘Oh no, no no no. They can’t do this, they won’t do this! I have to help him. I’m not sure I can live without my other half, it would be too cruel for me to go on without him!’ Desdemona thinks, weeping at the sight of her twin brother sacrificing his own life for hers. “P-please, my l-lady, let him go I beg you! Don’t hurt him please, I’ll do anything if you let him go. Don’t take him away from me, please.” Desdemona begs. Steely gray eyes meet hers and she recognizes that he is resigned to his fate. She sucks in a deep breath, unwilling to break eye contact as he says his final goodbye. “See you on the other side, Dezzy. Promise me you’ll make it out of here. Mom deserves to know. I love you and V…so very much.” He tells her with a wavering voice. In the background, Veronica is verbalizing her objections and pleads for Desmond’s freedom but in the end, it was all for naught.

With an evil smirk and a deep chuckle, Alcina brings down her claw at Desmond’s abdomen, slashing him so deeply that his innards begin to seep out of him.

Desdemona feels like she’s suffocating, her lungs unable to function as she struggles to make a sound no matter how much she wants to cry out her brother’s name one more time. She throws her head back and opens her mouth to wail but nothing comes out but a few choked coughs. The surviving twin couldn’t explain it but it felt like Alcina personally reached into her chest and destroyed the most important part of her being. Desmond was her other half and upon death, a most profound connection between siblings is severed and there lies nothing left but an echo of what was once there. Desdemona felt…empty, as if she would never be whole again now that her brother was gone.

She shuts her eyes and the horrifying image of Desmond’s intestines piling up on the floor and blood sloshing everywhere replays again in her mind. The hurt is renewed and this time, she summons every ounce of emotion she could as she screams out his name, Veronica’s loud, panicked screaming fueling her grief.

“DESMOND!”

She screams it over and over again until her body slumps in Daniela’s arms. She’s too weak to do anything else. She can hear voices and the sound of heels clicking but she can’t hear what is being said. Desdemona tries her very best to drown out the background noise as her sorrow was too great but Cassandra’s voice breaks her out of her reverie and it is what she murmurs in Desdemona’s ears as she passes by that makes her whimper for an entirely different reason.

“Just you wait until I make you say my name like a prayer, love. This is only the beginning.”

[biohazardousbunnywrites]

Resident Evil Master List

master list for all resident evil related fanfiction, headcanons, etc <3

all x reader are gn!reader

nsfw= ♤

fluff= ♡

angst=☆

Jill Valentine

dating jill valentine pt.1 ♤♡☆ pt.2 ♡☆

general jill valentine headcanons

nsfw alphabet ♤

Claire Redfield

dating claire redfield ♡♤☆

Rebecca Chambers

.......coming soon.......

Sherry Birkin (re6 ofc)

.......coming soon.......

Ada Wong

dating ada wong ♡♤

general ada headcanons

Sheva Alomar

dating sheva alomar ♡♤

Helena Harper

dating helena harper ♤♡☆

Ashley Graham (maybe)

maybe coming soon if anyone is interested

Moira Burton

.......coming soon.......

Zoe Baker

........coming soon......

Gina Foley

.........coming soon......

Rachel Foley

........coming soon.......

Jessica Sherawat

.........coming soon......

Excella Gionne

dating excella gionne ♤♡☆

Alex Wesker

dating alex wesker ♤♡☆

Annette Birkin

.......coming soon.....

Mother Miranda

........coming soon.....

Donna Benevento

......coming soon.......

Lady Dimitrescu

......coming soon.....

Bela Dimitrescu

......coming soon.....

Cassandra Dimitrescu

fade ♤

Daniela Dimitrescu

.......coming soon.....

multiple characters

Resident Evil women's kinks (all) ♤

[ivy-loves-chocolate]

Note: These ideas are so cute, ofc I wrote them :)

Warnings: fluff.

Pairings: Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters x Fem!Reader.

Summary: the reader escapes her abusive household and founds shelter in Lady Dimitrescu’s castle.

@screechinginthevoid

Bela watched the weird human that was resting in her mother’s bed. Usually, outsiders end up in the cellar, and if it happens to end up in her room they are hanged from the ceiling. This was a very rare case. It’s been a while since her mother would bring someone in her bed, but her dating life faded with their growth. Alcina spent and incredible amount of energy and patience to raise them, hence she didn’t had time to herself like she used to. Still, this person couldn’t be a date since she looked very young.

Her curiosity grew stronger and approached the edge of the bed, where she bent slightly so she can take a closer look on the human. Cassandra appeared behind her, sharing the same curiosity.

“What happened again?”

“I saw her running in the forest near the Beneviento house. She seemed like she was running from someone and judging by how she was looking, she might’ve been doing that for some time. When I approached her she screamed and fainted. Since I didn’t know from where she came from, I brought her into the castle. I proposed to mother that she can become our next dinner, and she seemed fine with the idea until I explained the whole story. Then she told me to bring her into her bed where she’s been laying ever since.”

“Do you really want to eat that?” She pointed to the girl with a disgusted look on her face. The girl was very dirty and had an unpleasant smell.

Bela was about to respond but Alcina interrupted their conversation by entering the room.

“Now, now girls, what have I taught you? We respect our guests. Let her rest.” “Of course, mother.”

They left in their typical swarm of bugs. Alcina sat carefully, not to wake her up, on the edge of the bed and brushed off some strands of hair.

“I don’t blame you, my daughter can make quite an…entrance. I had troubles accommodate at the beginning too. Please forgive Bela, I’m still struggling to teach her and her sisters some manners.” Alcina’s mellow, listenable, voice continued to whisper an apology to the way she was treated.

“From who were you running?”. Alcina figured that no one will dare wondering around house Beneviento, mostly because they were freaked out by Donna’s dolls, especially by Angie. Seeing the girl didn’t give any sign of waking up, she decided it’s better to leave.

She woke up in a peaceful ambient, dominated by the faint sound of the burning fireplace. She succumbed to the warm and let herself to slack a little in the comfortable mattress. It was nothing like her cold, disturbing home. The more she begin to compare, the more she remembered why she was in the woods, far away from home, and why she felt better in this strange, yet welcoming place.

As much as she wanted to stay, she knew she couldn’t abuse of the castle residents kindness too long. Besides, she wasn’t willing to meet them since her last encounter shocked her to the point where she lost consciousness. At first she though there were just a few, hungry bugs, but then the swarm got bigger and bigger until a person emerged from it. Then everything went black.

She made her way into he castle in a way to not alert anyone, but he truth is the girls were watching from distance her attempt to find the exit. After big efforts she collapsed on he couch from the main hall. To her despair she heard footsteps coming near her. Alcina’s heels were tapping on the floor as she was searching for he girl. Desperate, she found a place in the corner, behind an armour to hide and waited for the host to made its appearance. When she saw the incredible tall woman coming from the stairs she felt like fainting again. Her heart rate was beyond limit, her breath was rapid, and she felt her ending coming soon.

Alcina saw her trembling from the corner of her eye, but she played along pretending to look around.

“Please, please go in the other way.” Was all she could thing about. Alcina decided not to continue to anticipation and simply walked away. Behind the armour she finally exhaled the air she kept in the lungs, not paying attention anymore to the lady that stopped in her way.

“You can’t stay there forever. I assume you are thirsty.”

She raised her head and saw Alcina staring at her with an annoyed expression on her face. Her instinct told her to run, but there was nowhere to go.

“Come on, follow me. If I wanted to kill you, you would’ve been dead by now.”

Dead. It didn’t scare her when she entered Beneviento territory, nor when she woke up here. There was no point of return. With her last strength, she supported herself on the armour and raised, following the lady with fast steps so she can catch up to her. She looked around her one last time, and saw three other girls smiling and whispering between them from the gallery. One of them was familiar.

She expected worst things than a bottle full of water and a warm bath. Alcina brought her in her private camber and allowed her to use everything from there, including the bathtub. She waited at the vanity and found little things to do to make the time pass, like fixing her make up, arranging her gloves or even the clothes from the cabinet.

A few hours have passed and the lady invited her guest to dinner.

“You can’t leave like this, I would be a bad host.”

She feasted from every dish. Seeing the way she was eating made even the daughter to feel bad about her. Cassandra rose from her seat and was constantly careful to fill the place in front of her, as long as the chalice. This nice gesture however was mistaken by the girl, because the stories she heard from the villagers still clouded her judgement. After she ate she expected to be taken to the chambers and be eaten alive, now that she was somehow in a better shape.

“I hope you enjoyed the meal. Now that you are full, let’s take you to your house.”

She passed by the girls painting, and so she as finally close to get home, but an intense feeling of sadness held her to enjoy the moment. The warm was leaving her body and was replace with a sharp, cold sensation.

“As you can see, we didn’t eat you. Trust me, we have better meat.”

Alcina’s words passed by her ear, all her attention being on he door and on the thought of her getting back home. A chill ran through her bones when Alcina pressed her thumbs over the handles. When she was about to open it, she burst into tears.

“I don’t want to go back, I’d rather stay here.” Alcina barely understood between her sobs. In the next minutes she kneeled in front of her and ran her big fingers over her cheeks, pushing away some tears.

“I knew something was wrong the moment Bela told me. You don’t have to talk with me, but you are welcomed to stay as much as you like. As we can see, we didn’t torture you.” The last line was accompanied by a shy smile, that seemed to light up the girl’s mood.

She listened to Alcina and remained as long as she needed. Days passed without her feeling any sorrow from not seeing her family. Soon, they became her new family. Alcina helped her to change her style in order to fit the castle aesthetic. She couldn’t stand seeing her in those dirty, old ones.

The girl was now sitting at her new mother’s vanity, watching her reflexion. Strands of her hair were slipping through her fingers as it was gently brushed by Alcina. Her hair got a little longer since she got here. Time was just a concept for her, now that she finally felt like home.

“How did you know?” She asked.

“Know what, dear?”

“Know that I wasn’t happy with my birth family?”

“A mother just knows dear.” And Alcina kept brushing her hair and arranging her new daughter’s appearance.

[marvel-wlw]

Fifth Masterlist

I decided to make another masterlist since the fourth one was getting really long.

Resident Evil

Claire Redfield x Ada Wong x OFC

Another Survivor pt 2

Jill Valentine x Reader

Birthday Surprise

Nightmares

Raccoon City Aftermath

Cute Ball of Fluff

Trespasser

Daniela Dimitrescu x Reader

Snow Maiden pt 2 pt 3 pt 4

Bela Dimitrescu x Reader

My Talented Maiden

Alcina Dimitrescu x Reader

Love Again

Cassandra Dimitrescu x Reader

Never Insult House Dimitrescu

Marvel

Natasha Romanoff x Wanda Maximoff x Reader

You Have a Tattoo?

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Reunited

Life is Strange

Alex Chen x Steph Gingrich x Reader

Take Out and Video Games

Steph Gingrich x Reader

Unexpected Meeting

Red Dead Redemption 2

Sadie Adler x Reader

Back Together Again

Rizzoli & Isles

Jane Rizzoli x Reader

Hands Off

Marvel’s Spider-Man

Silver Sablinova x Reader

I Don't Do Hugs

Felicia Hardy

Until We Meet Again

Star Trek

Seven of Nine

Respect

[asphyxiateher]

Hey folks, just wanted to share some amazing fan art I received for my fic Only the Monsters Come Out at Night and I’m still emotional over it.

Desdemona, my OFC, pictured in the center with Bela and Daniela flanking her on either side and I’m 🤧😳👌🏼🥺❤️ just in awe over it.

Thank you, you know who you are, I hope you have a fabulous day!

[asphyxiateher]

Only Monsters Come Out at Night *Chapter 8 Update*

Summary: Desdemona has a nightmare that sends her spiraling into the arms of her beloved mistresses but when she's turned away, she realizes that nightmare was a warning of what was to come. An unexpected family reunion finally makes Desdemona beg for death. A/N:  Thank you to everyone who stuck it out with this story this far; I know the last chapter wasn't too exciting but as I played the Resident Evil remake on my switch, I was inspired to drum up a little more excitement with this chapter and the next few chapters to come, which will be the last!

There’s a long, dark corridor that is accompanied by the acquainted sound of silence outside of Desdemona’s door and the darkness seeping into the room is becoming too much to bear. It feels like she is dreaming but these days, her nightmares and her reality have blended in so well together that it’s become nearly indistinguishable to tell apart what’s actually happening to what she could be imagining. It’s terrifying. She shouldn’t have become accustomed to what she’s gotten comfortable around lately, especially with everything that’s happened ever since she had been taken to Lady Alcina’s castle. Desdemona feels the familiar hunger for company creep up on her as she sits against the wall on her bed with her legs crossed, a journal and pen in hand. Loneliness was something she was used to, something she begged for when socializing drained her of her energy but now it was like a stranger to her. She no longer liked the idea of being alone in this gigantic castle that was made for its vampiric inhabitants and the monstrosities that lingered every which way. The connection she unintentionally formed with Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela and was ultimately made stronger through their unusual ways of showing affection is suddenly severed and she can no longer sense them nearby. This was very troubling. Although she wasn’t feeling very well, a wave of nausea causing her to lose consciousness earlier, Desdemona summoned the strength to get out of bed. This desire to be around the wretched creatures that ruined her life both shocked and comforted her, the inner conflicting thoughts in her mind constantly pulling her in one direction over the other was exhausting but rationality had no place in House Dimitrescu. Her hands shook violently as she reached for the doorknob, her knees nearly going out when she dared to take a few cautious steps outside of her room. The grand designs of the castle were dulled by the strangeness of the dim lighting of every room. This was very unusual, what was going on? Beneath her, she could hear one of the sisters scream in agony while Lady Dimitrescu rages about the deaths of her daughters. No. It couldn’t be. They couldn’t be dead, she felt them nearby just a few minutes ago! How could this be possible? Panicking at the idea of losing her mistresses, Desdemona rushes down the polished stairwells of the castle. She can’t sense them, hear them, or feel them through their bond and her heart aches at the idea of having to go on without them. When she finally reaches the ground level, she finds Alcina looming over the corpse of an unknown intruder. Desdemona has always been afraid of Lady Dimitrescu, but for some unknown reason, she felt compelled to comfort her despite not knowing what was going on. She carefully approaches the statuesque woman and gently tugs at her sleeve, and when Alcina turns around and looks down at Desdemona, she gives out a sigh of relief. “Oh, it’s you darling! This night has been dreadful, and I’m not certain at how you’ll take the news but let me assure you that I am so glad to see that at least you weren’t harmed in all of this. Let me show you who was responsible for the deaths of my daughters; together, you and I shall take vengeance against the human organization that was responsible for this.” Alcina declares as she wraps an arm around Desdemona, pulling her closer before turning her around to examine the corpse at their feet. Desdemona’s jaw drops at the sight of her own body laying on the floor nearly intact. Her skin was nearly flawless, save for the deep wounds inflicted upon her by Alcina. She lay there dead before her very eyes, her lifeless gray eyes reflecting a dark creature she could not recognize. Startled, Desdemona turns on her heel to find a mirror, and when she finds the nearest restroom, her hands grip the sink in front of her. She cannot recognize what she’s staring at but she knows it’s her reflection, just not what she expected at all. Instead of beautifully long flowing dark brown hair, she sees a matted mess of dark hair tangled in some sort of wild updo, cold, glowing yellow eyes and when she opens her mouth to scream at the sight, she coughs up blood. She goes into a brief coughing fit, and eventually she begins to throw up, but what comes out of her isn’t bile. Oh no, she threw up a sticky ball of insects and maggots glued to each other, the creatures clinging to each other in their frenzied movements. The sight alone is enough to wake Desdemona from her slumber. Desdemona wakes in a cold sweat, her heart hammering at the implications of what she’s become so she quickly examines herself. She runs to the nearest full body length mirror and she’s relieved that she sees herself in her nearly natural state. Bedraggled dark brown hair, terrified gray eyes and the occasional love bite and bruise left behind by the mistresses she’s bonded to. Her skin, while still tawny-brown, was starting to gray out but for the most part, she still seemed normal. What caught her attention in that moment, however, was the sound of Daniela’s laughter coming from downstairs in the dining room. Any logic and rational thought once again flees her mind as she’s comforted by the fact that her mistresses were still alive and well. That’s all that mattered to her and so she rushes out of her room to interrupt the important meeting that Bela had warned her not to interrupt. She didn’t care, she just needed to know that they were safe and sound. Without dressing up like she’s supposed to when she wanders around the castle unsupervised, she glides down the railing of the grand staircase as she follows the sound of a private conversation being had. Desdemona bursts into the living area, her heart rate picking up at the sight of Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela all casually enjoying their special blend of blood wine with a guest she wasn’t familiar with. Bela is caught off guard at the sight of Desdemona waltzing into the meeting in a revealing nightgown but is even more thrown when the smaller girl practically lunges at her and wraps her arms around her. Cassandra looks a little miffed that Desdemona decided to greet her sister first but then she sees how quickly Bela is becoming agitated with the intrusion so she steps in and tries to peel Desdemona off of her. “Oh thank god you’re alright! I had the worst nightmare that you all were killed and there was nothing I could do about it -,” Desdemona begins but is quickly shushed when a hard slap to the face reminds her that they were not alone. “Desdemona, what the hell are you talking about? Of course we’re alright but what on earth are you doing here? I instructed you to stay in your room and mind your business, did I not?” Bela asks angrily as she shoves Desdemona away from her. Cassandra steadies her and throws her sister a knowing look, nodding off to the side as if to remind her that they were in the company of Donna Beneviento. Daniela merely looks amused and continues talking to Donna and Angie as if nothing unusual was happening. It was then that Desdemona realizes that they were indeed in the middle of an important conversation with the lord Bela wished to make a partner out of in either ousting Mother Miranda or finally bringing her a suitable host to revive her daughter. Desdemona looks ashamed and stares at her clenched fists, biting her tongue as Bela continues to give her a tongue lashing. “Look at you wandering around House Dimitrescu looking like a common whore without any dignity. I could have sworn my mother and I taught you better than this but nevertheless, you owe the lovely Donna Beneviento an apology. Once this meeting is over, we will go over what is distressing you. None of your concerns are more important than what is currently being discussed, I’m sorry to say.” Bela admonishes Desdemona before she turns to offer Donna a sincere apology. Donna, on the other hand, wasn’t interested in what Bela had to say as she observed the human standing quietly before her. It was a fascinating scene unfolding before her very eyes. “Oh ho ho, look at the poor girl, she’s ready to cry. What happened, Bela? Is she no longer your favorite?” Angie, the doll, said out loud as she giggled. “Lovers tend to have spats, but you wouldn’t know much about that, would you?” Bela growls, looking as though she were ready to strangle both the doll and the ventriloquist. Donna scoffs, shaking her head before settling on an equally irritating comment. “You mistreat your toys, they’re more than welcome to stay home with me and keep me company. I can promise you I’m more pleasant than your mistresses.” Donna replies quietly, her face hidden behind her veil but even Desdemona could hear the smugness in her tone. This time, Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela pitch a fuss over the unnecessary comment and find themselves squabbling over a silly matter. Angie, the doll, is delighted and laughs maniacally when the sisters begin to fight with one another. Donna was clearly amused but said nothing as she continued to watch Desdemona fret over her actions in the background. Desdemona begins to shut out the banter as the remnants of her decaying mind makes its final stand in her mind. ‘Get out…while you still can…the opportunity won’t come again. They’re distracted, their mother is away…you can go home. Get help…please leave…please do it. For your sake, for Desmond’s sake, and for Veronica’s. Run away…while you still can.’ Desdemona blinks, her rational state of mind completely taking over for a moment before it slips into nothingness again. She turns to find the doll named, Angie, staring up at her while the ventriloquist responsible for the trickery, observes her from afar. Desdemona used to be frightened of dolls, especially of the porcelain collection her mother obtained from her grandmother but when she gives Angie a once-over, she finds that she isn’t crept out at all by the appearance of the doll but is comforted by both her and Donna’s presence. It was strange but with her life constantly taking a turn for the worse every other second of her life, she supposes she shouldn’t be surprised she’s taking a liking to the friends of her mistresses as well. “I apologize for the intrusion. I had a nightmare that I’ll eventually recover from, but I hope my childish antics didn’t embarrass you further, Bela. I’ll take my leave and I won’t bother you again.” Desdemona finally says almost robotically as she makes her way back to castle entrance. She’s ready to go back to her room when something terrifying happens. Her eardrums suddenly pop, an incessant buzzing sound following the sound of brief ringing. Desdemona cannot hear anyone or anything so when she looks up to see the mouths of Cassandra and Daniela moving as if they were speaking to her, she confirms the temporary loss of hearing. Panic grips her, her anxiety on the rise when the others notice the drastic change in behavior. She starts to scream when she feels her brain begin to throb in pain, as if a knife were slowly dividing her brain in half and it sends Desdemona running. She’s gripping her head as she runs into walls, end tables, statues, and portraits; nothing seems to stop her even though she has no idea where she’s going or how she’s even leading herself anywhere with the immense amount of pain she’s in. She still hears that incessant buzzing noise in her head and it’s driving her crazy. She can’t hear the girls call out to her in worry. The only thing that she can hear is the sound of something buzzing around inside of her. She remembers that Bela, Daniela, and Cassandra are not immune to the cold air during the winter and if this is the same bug that they seem to be made out of, maybe some fresh air will do her some good and kill whatever it is that’s inside of her. She thinks it’s a great idea; her mistresses, once they see her heading outside towards the gardens and vineyard, think otherwise. “Desdemona, no, don’t do this! Don’t go where we cannot follow, please!” Cassandra cries out to her, unable to go past the point of no return. The fresh, wintry cold air brings immediate relief to Desdemona as she pushes past the doors that led to Lady Dimitrescu’s enormous vineyard. Her ears pop again, the sound of the girls screaming for her to return to the castle can finally be heard and Desdemona feels good again. She chuckles to herself, thinking she overdramatized her pain but what she had just gone through was something she had never experienced prior. It was incredibly painful and there was no other way to describe it other than it felt like her brain was melting out of nowhere, the left and right side of her brain being divided by a painful knife. She thought she was going to die. When she glances up from where she had been doubled over in pain, she finds herself wishing that she did die from whatever kind of attack that was. Yes, she’s staring a Alcina’s glorious, infamous vineyard sprawled out beautifully before her and covered in snow but what she sees staring back at her from not so far away is an eerily familiar scarecrow. Desdemona hears that incessant buzzing noise in her head again as she slowly approaches the scarecrow, her breath growing heavy. Her eyes widen in complete shock when she recognizes the clothes that the scarecrow is wearing, but it isn’t just what it’s wearing that appalls Desdemona, it’s who it is. It was Desmond. They never told Desdemona what they did with his remains. Sure, they might have mentioned drinking his blood and devouring some of his flesh but that wasn’t the case at all. Here he was, skin stitched together and his beautiful curly hair clumped on top of what has to be his skull living in the afterlife as a scarecrow. They hollowed him out, dumping out his insides completely and disposing that mess in a way Desdemona no longer wanted to think about and turned him into this! Tears prickling in her eyes, a whole new fresh wave of pain consumes her entire being. She drops down to her knees again, feeling completely defeated as she takes in the immaculate detailing of how they put his flesh back together to make this monstrosity. The only thing that was missing was his eyes; otherwise, she was looking directly at her twin reincarnated. Her fingernails are beginning to frost over, the stinging cold making her feel as if she were dipped in a frozen pond and pulled back out again. None of that mattered to her. Her heart rate was beginning to slow down, the buzzing in her head growing more and more frantic but she can’t tear her eyes away from her dead twin. Her body can no longer tolerate the cold that it used to and the longer she stayed outside, she knew her body would begin to shut down. Maybe this was finally it for Desdemona, maybe this is the way she wanted to go out and reunite with her loved ones again. She just wanted it all to end because her life no longer mattered. She sees a rather large shadow approach her from behind and she knew that it was too good to be true. She was so close yet death would continue to evade her. She struggles to turn her head, the ice buildup on her skin making it difficult to do so and finds a very displeased Alcina Dimitrescu staring down at her. “Looks like I’ll have to take matters into my own hands and speed up your transformation, little one. Miranda is eager to find out if you’ll do or not.” With that said, Alcina raises her hand and long, sharp claws begin to form. Desdemona closes her eyes as she braces herself for death and when she feels something sharp puncture her chest, she blacks out completely. 

[asphyxiateher]

Only Monsters Come Out at Night *Chapter Update*

Chapter 7: The Devil Within Summary: Desdemona has been neglecting her health ever since she murdered her best friend but when the three women she's been bonded to come for a visit, she finds out all sorts of vital information that strengthens the bond she shares with them. Bela has a plan that may or may not piss off her mother but she swears it's for the good of their family. A/N: Thank you all so much for your patience and overwhelming support! I originally intended to end this book with this chapter but with all the comments I've been receiving, I've enjoyed fleshing out my characters even more and adding more to the story than I intended and I love how its turning out so much! I should have more time to work on this story next week since I requested some much needed time off from work. Anyway, please enjoy and thank you all again!

    Desdemona doesn’t know how long it’s been since the incident with Veronica occurred. Ever since it happened, she had been plagued with guilt that eats away at the core of her soul and it seemed impossible to want to do or think about anything else. All she wanted to do these days was linger in the shadows and let the darkness consume her. Her mind is slipping away into nothing, her body slowly deteriorating because she refused to eat, and all she had left was the promise of death as she barely held onto life by a breath. Veronica’s lifeless eyes still haunted Desdemona every time she tried to close her eyes and it made her feel sick to her stomach all over again when she replayed the events of that fateful night. She tossed and turned as the images of Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela feasting upon her best friend’s corpse played in her mind, praising her for the kill as they did so, and the guilt churned within her even more. She wanted to be punished for killing her best friend, she deserved to die and so she lay in the room Alcina transferred her to and decided to rot alone where nobody could see her. Lady Dimitrescu’s daughters assumed that a change of environment would alter Desdemona’s self-destructive behavior, so they moved her to the room next to Bela’s since it was spacious enough to enjoy her other hobbies. Alcina and her daughters soon realized that their human plaything still refused to take care of herself properly and Alcina warned her daughters that if they did not do anything about it soon, Mother Miranda would have another vessel for her ungodly experimentations. This would explain the frequent visitation from all three girls, but today’s visit somehow felt different to Desdemona when she felt their presence outside of her door.

Desdemona sighs when she hears the familiar knocking on the door, a surprise to her at first since Alcina’s daughters didn’t embody politeness. The door swings open and Bela is the first face she sees as always, her sisters following her the moment she steps in and drops off a tray of food. Daniela used to tease her about the untouched trays of food they would walk into but now it was a little worrying. The last thing any of them wanted to do was to put down their favorite human plaything. Cassandra’s eyes linger on the untouched trays of food building up in the corner and rolls her eyes but refused to make a comment in case she offended her pet.

“Tsk, tsk, Desdemona, what shall we ever do with you? We are attempting to accommodate your needs yet you spit in our faces when we demonstrate kindness. That’s quite unfair.” Bela says with a frown as she gives Desdemona a once over, her brows furrowing when she realized the human’s condition was starting to worsen a little.

Desdemona exhales and closes her eyes for a moment before she slowly turns to face all three women. She wants to be furious. She wants to scream at them, throw something in their faces and make them feel small and insignificant but nothing can drown out the sorrow that has swallowed her whole. She opens her mouth to speak but the extreme thirst she feels burning in the back of her throat causes her voice to crack and it seemed nearly impossible to form words because of it.

Cassandra notices how dry her lips are, so she picks up the goblet of water from the tray and walks over to Desdemona’s prone form on the floor. She had been annoyed with the mild inconveniences her pet’s behavior had created but now she was legitimately concerned for her well-being, a concept that had seemed foreign to her. Cassandra loved and cared for her sisters but to care for mortals and the other people Alcina preferred the company of outside of family was beyond her. Still, she felt the need to show Desdemona tough love because she cared.

She kneels on the floor beside the smaller girl and roughly yanks her by the collar so she could force the human to sit upright. Desdemona doesn’t fight it, but she isn’t happy about being touched when she just wants to lay in this room to die. She wonders why they don’t just move on to the next best thing when she is just a passing interest anyway. Her mind is quieted when Cassandra tilts her head and gently compels Desdemona to sip the water continuously.   “This is an improvement, Desdemona. As much as I would personally enjoy forcing this water down your gullet, you are in a fragile state and I would hate to break you, pretty thing. Why do you humans neglect self-care so much? I will never understand how you mortals function like this.” Cassandra tells the smaller girl, an arm now wrapping around her waist possessively as she pulls her tighter against her chest. Bela looks mildly annoyed by the action but doesn’t say anything.

“You will never understand, I’m sorry to say. If you’ve never experienced grief so great that it feels like a tidal wave of pure misery coming down on you, and you suddenly feel yourself being pulled to the bottomless depths of despair that it becomes difficult for you to try and come up for air, so rather than fight the inevitable you let yourself sink because it’s easier to accept your fate, then you will never fully comprehend what I’m going through.” Desdemona replies quietly, taking a few moments in between sips to speak.

Daniela eyes her curiously after she says this and then her eyes flick over to her eldest sister, who seems to have pulled out Desdemona’s phone before she decides to kneel beside Desdemona as well. The rambunctious sibling didn’t want to feel left out so she decides to sit herself on the floor next to her pet, her head resting on Desdemona’s shoulder as one of her hands gripped the younger girl’s thigh. Desdemona was too weak to fight her off but the dark whispers in her mind were soothing her, reminding her that Daniela’s touch was supposed to be comforting. It didn’t matter how depressed she was over the fact that she killed her best friend in order to save Daniela’s life; the bond she shared with all of them made her feel at ease at the same time and this stirred conflicting emotions within her.

 “Help us understand you, Desdemona. Why can’t you seem to move on from this moral dilemma of yours?” Bela asked, showing the other girl her phone and on the screen were all the photos she had taken with friends, family, and strangers she had met at bars and work. The one picture Desdemona couldn’t take her eyes off of was the picture she and Veronica had taken when they were in middle school. Veronica had just gotten her braces and Desdemona was going through her awkward Hot Topic phase and once again, tears began to well up at the fond memories she had with the girl she had betrayed and murdered in cold blood. Veronica Joss was the best friend she had ever had in her life and Desdemona killed her. How could she ever move on from that?

“You don’t get it and you never will. V was my ride or die, and I betrayed her to save your sister’s life. I haven’t known any of you for more than three weeks and the girl whose corpse you desecrated was somebody I had known since I was a little girl. We fought with each other, we loved each other, and we made each other stronger through the years. She was there for me when I came out to my parents as a lesbian, which apparently isn’t a big deal over here, but it was huge for me where I come from and where I come from, stupid people protest bakeries that sell gay pride cookies but defend a cake decorator’s decision to deny gay people service just because of who they love! Veronica kicked a girl’s ass for me when she tried to touch me when I wasn’t ready to be touched. I destroyed a guy’s car with spray paint, my keys, and glitter when he cheated on her with someone she thought was her friend. Veronica put her life on hold when I became depressed our senior year of high school and helped me overcome one of the worst phases of my life. I graduated because of her and you know what I did to repay her for her years of friendship and unwavering loyalty? I fucking killed her and for WHAT!?”  Desdemona yells out, angry tears now spilling out uncontrollably. She has the urge to shove Daniela off of her because her presence was now overwhelming, her presence a reminder that Veronica was dead and there was nothing she could do to bring her back. She glances over at Daniela and her heart stops at the sight of Alcina’s youngest looking down at her with a sad smile on her face, almost as if she looked…remorseful. She feels their connection vibrate with an emotion she can’t seem to place, and it makes her uncomfortable because she knows she has every right to be enraged but looking into Daniela’s glowing yellow eyes, guilt quickly takes over.

Bela doesn’t look bored but the neutral expression on her face bothered Desdemona a bit. Cassandra had the decency to look away for a moment although she was certain it was because Cassandra still didn’t fathom why she felt so strongly about the way things went down recently.

“You are the first human to ever share their experiences with us, you know. When we first met, you were driving me and my sisters wild with a lust we had never known before. We intended to kill you at some point but when we tasted you and you shared with us gifts that no one had ever given to us before, you unknowingly created a bond I know that you can feel. We feel what you feel and it is foreign to us, and I’m sure you can say the same about what you’re feeling whenever you’re near us. I…would, however, like to know more about you, I find myself completely enthralled by your history. The bond between us is growing stronger and I must confess, I’m enjoying the slow development of our relationship immensely.” Bela admits hesitantly as she points to pictures on the phone that she finds interesting.

Desdemona blinks at the revelation. They were all homicidal maniacs that reveled in the misery of others. They killed people for either fun or sustenance and here they were telling her how fond they were of her! The absolute nerve of them all! She should tell them off, attempt to run away and get maimed by Lady Alcina Dimitrescu or something! She shouldn’t put up with any of this, not after she killed Veronica in favor of Daniela. Why can’t she summon the willpower to do the things she wanted to do instead of listening to the stupid dark whispers that have completely numbed out whatever rational thoughts she had left?

 “Why do you care? I have nothing to live for anymore; I lost the only people that ever mattered to me, and I just don’t have the strength to carry on anymore. I should bore you, waste your time, and possibly piss you off until you finally snap and kill me like you wanted to. Why jump through all these hoops just because you’re lonely and you don’t understand how friendships or romantic relationships work? Why don’t you kill me already?” Desdemona presses. She’s disappointed that this doesn’t elicit a reaction out of Bela but both Daniela and Cassandra are now paying close attention to how they’re interacting with one another.

 Bela smiles at that so she puts down the phone to pull out a journal from her satchel that she brought with her. She carefully hands it over to Desdemona and Desdemona raises her eyebrow at the fact that the journal clearly belongs to her mother.

“Why are you giving me this?”

“I want to tell you a story but it involves my mother and how we were created. You may think that we don’t know what love is but we do. We come from drastically different backgrounds, we’re not even the same species, but we have something in common, Desdemona Hawthorne. I want you to listen and pay close attention because we don’t get attached to mortals or form deep bonds with just anyone; you are special to us, Little One and by me sharing our history, we will strengthen our bond and we will have a better understanding of each other. Our love will truly stand the test of time of that I can assure you.” Bela replies before launching into the tale of the four lords of the region, Alcina’s origins, and Mother Miranda’s history and why she continued to experiment on unwilling specimens in the region. Cassandra pitched in when she could. Daniela surprisingly contributed to the conversation more with her knowledge of the Four Lords; she wholeheartedly spoke about Donna Beneviento while she spoke about the other two lords of the region with great distaste. As Desdemona listened to their tales, she found herself eager to learn more, especially when Bela spoke about Miranda with a bitter tone to her voice. There was clearly a rift between her mother and this Miranda figure and Bela made it clear that Alcina looked up to the other woman. There was something to the way Alcina’s daughters frowned whenever Miranda’s name was mentioned and Desdemona herself felt the bond between all of them quiver with fear when they explained the nature of Miranda’s experimentations.

This woman was going to great lengths just to revive her dead daughter, and it did not matter how often she failed, she kept going. Even with Alcina aiding Mother Miranda, Bela suspected that Miranda would throw them all under the metaphorical bus just to cover her tracks.

“You don’t trust Mother Miranda, do you? When she released the lycans on the villagers, it sounds like you think she’s ready to sacrifice the only capable people that have been useful to her if it meant saving her own ass. Why do you feel that way?” Desdemona finally asked when the oppressive silence that followed her tales became too much to endure.

This information she learned…it was tremendous. Just one look at Lady Dimitrescu, and Desdemona wouldn’t have pegged her for a jazz musician or a winemaker, but she was all of that and more. Despite Alcina’s wicked nature and the cruel way she treated her servants, it astounded Desdemona that none of the girls were biologically hers yet she adopted all three of them when she formed a bond with them. If Desdemona were to be perfectly honest, she didn’t think Alcina was capable of love but…her overprotective nature of the girls made sense. While none of the murders or horrifying way they process their wine using maiden blood were in any way justifiable, they were apex predators at the top of the food chain doing what they must in order to maintain survival. They were no ordinary family, but the dynamics were the same and Desdemona can see by the way Bela holds her mother in high regard that they clearly know what love is.

“No, I do not trust Mother Miranda and I fear for my mother’s safety. When your group stumbled upon the village while we were out scouting for leftovers, we were ready to kill you all and have our way with you thinking you had been sent by Miranda to dispatch my mother. It turned out you were foreigners from another land, complete strangers to us and the other lords and the relief I felt knowing that you never even met the revered cult leader of the village was immeasurable. She’s incredibly dangerous, Desdemona, and no matter how often I tell my mother that we ought to cut our ties with her, she will not heed my warnings. While my mother is powerful, she cannot take Miranda on alone and the only other lord we can possibly convince to side with us is Donna Beneviento.” Bela finishes, feeding a spoonful of soup into Desdemona’s mouth. Desdemona didn’t realize how long she’d been distracted but her stomach felt full and looking down, Bela had been feeding her the entire time they had been talking. She was flabbergasted at how they were able to coax her into eating again after starving herself for a few days and she didn’t even notice that it had been happening the entire time. The dark whispers in her mind are telling her to calm herself, that her mistresses were taking care of her in her time of need and that she needed to be grateful. Desdemona obliged, surprisingly, and willfully took another sip of her water that Cassandra had at the ready for her.

When Desdemona slowly breathes in and out, there’s a renewed energy she hadn’t felt in days and the other women must have felt that sudden spark as well through their shared bond when they all turned to look at her.

“Well done, sister, look who’s back. There’s that familiar glow of yours that I’ve grown to love so much.” Cassandra says chuckling. She pushes aside Desdemona’s hair to reveal her collarbone and plants a gentle kiss on the exposed skin.

Daniela excitedly cups Desdemona’s chin and forcefully turns her head to the side so she could kiss her. It was sloppy and a little wet but Desdemona found herself kissing the other woman back just as enthusiastically. Daniela pulls away giggling but pouts when Bela stands up, pulling Desdemona to her feet as well. Bela delicately plays with Desdemona’s fingers for a moment before she raises a hand to cup Desdemona’s cheek. Once again, Desdemona’s inner turmoil from before has vanished and she leans into the touch, causing Bela to smirk. The blonde woman pulls Desdemona closer to her and presses a kiss to her lips, a kiss that leaves Desdemona wanting more. She had wanted nothing to do with them after recent events but here she was letting them touch and kiss her like they didn’t tear Veronica’s corpse apart after she had killed her.

Thinking back on her best friend’s death, Desdemona attempts to step away from Bela but the eldest sister kept her in place and hugged her closely. Because of the height difference, Desdemona’s head fell just a bit under Bela’s breasts and this made it easier for Bela to stroke her hair and whisper sweet nothings to her as if her pretty words could erase her horrendous actions. Maybe it was due to the fact that their bond was strengthening but Desdemona was starting to feel more at ease as her mind once again begins to slip away into nothing.

No longer could she resist the call of Lady Dimitrescu’s daughters whenever they were near her and the inner voice in her head that protested their actions was silenced, dulled, and ignored. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to please them and to do whatever was asked of her. The traumatizing memory of Veronica’s death was starting to fade away as happiness begins to seep in the longer she remained in Bela’s arms. Desdemona was losing herself, no longer willing to fight the women she was now bonded to and there was nothing she could do about it. She wanted nothing more than to be embraced and loved by Alcina and her daughters as the feeling of being needed and wanted by these exquisite creatures overpowered everything else in her life. They chose her, she was their chosen one, and nothing could top that.

 When Desdemona sighs and slightly pulls away from Bela, she looks up at Bela adoringly, a stark contrast to how she’d been behaving and treating them from earlier before, and Bela looks relieved. She leans down and kisses Desdemona, her arm encircling her waist as she dips her to kiss her even more deeply. When they break apart, Bela smiles at Desdemona and notices the glazed look in her eyes.

“You’re changing, Little One. Until the time comes for your final transformation, we’ll need to keep our wits about us. Either we’ll assist Mother Miranda in finding another vessel to revive her daughter or we’ll be taking her on with hopefully one of the other Lords on mother’s side. Daniela, I need you to write a letter to Donna Beneviento and invite her over for a wine tasting, I’m sure that woman could use company right now. Cassandra, take our dear little Desdemona and clean her up in the bath. We need her presentable as we propose our ideas to our dear friend Donna. We cannot risk Mother overhearing our plans.” Bela says as she passes a dazed and confused Desdemona over to Cassandra. “Do you truly think Donna will be able to help us in any shape or form? I think going behind mother’s back is truly a disastrous idea.” Cassandra tells Bela as she carefully lifts Desdemona and carries her bridal style.

“We cannot risk Miranda betraying our mother first. She’s become reckless as of late and there’s no telling what that woman is capable of. She destroyed the village using the lycans, who’s to say she isn’t planning on sacrificing us all for her own benefit? Either we find a successful vessel or we prepare ourselves to fight; Desdemona’s transformation is nearly complete and we’re going to need her if we plan on luring more people out here.” “What are you going to be doing while we make preparations, Bela?”

“I’m going to make a few inquisitive phone calls to the innkeeper that led our beloved Desdemona over to us. As much as I would love to see Mother put down Miranda once and for all, it would be easier to lure in more victims with great potential. I do not want to see our family fall, not after all we’ve been through and not after we’ve found a loving companion to keep with us. I…love Desdemona, I would like to continue exploring these new feelings with her but not with Miranda behaving the way she has been as of late. You may not see the danger behind her actions, but I do and I will not stand for it.” Bela says determinedly, as she runs her fingers through Desdemona’s thick tresses. Desdemona had fallen asleep in Cassandra’s arms, an effect of the drug she had slipped into her food. They needed to make their case presentable, and Donna’s input would be invaluable, even if she disagreed with their actions. There’s no way Miranda’s actions weren’t suspicious to anybody else so she had to see for herself if the other lords were continuing to follow Miranda’s orders blindly. She loathed to think so little of her own mother, but Alcina’s been trying to prove herself to the other woman for so long that Bela thinks the the effort just wasn’t worth it anymore. They were going to present another vessel to Miranda and if the ritual failed, then they would plan their attack. However, if this next vessel somehow succeeded in reviving Miranda’s daughter, then they could finally cut their ties with the woman and live on peacefully in their castle away from all the bullshit politics. Bela just wanted her family to remain safe, and with Desdemona now bonded to them as their fledgling, Bela had a lot to lose should their plan fail but she was now more determined than ever to make sure their plan worked. She’d never known love outside of family before but this connection with Desdemona opened her up to a whole new world of feelings waiting to be explored and she wasn’t going to lose that. Not now, not ever.

[asphyxiateher]

Only Monsters Come Out at Night

Chapter 3: Addicted to the Way You Hurt Summary: Desdemona is scheming her way out of the castle but a one on one conversation with Bela Dimitrescu shakes up her world.

Desdemona could not quite recall how long it had been since she had been brought down to the cellars of Castle Dimitrescu nor did she care. She had been escorted to a vast open chamber with a high vaulted ceiling, antique cast iron braziers lined the walls offering a dim light that caused shadows to flicker every which way. An archaic chandelier comprised of rusted metal swayed back and forth above her head and it was the only thing Desdemona could focus on as she lay on the ground with her hands clasped together behind her head. The only source of her comfort came in the form of the dank and moldy rustic stone flooring beneath her and that was not saying much.

She shifted uncomfortably to her side and sighed when she realized it was not going to get any better than this. It had taken awhile to adjust to the dark and dismal environment of her new accommodation, but Desdemona currently preferred the desolation over the company of the maniacal sisters who were currently enjoying the life of luxury above ground. At the thought of the chaotic personalities that belonged to Lady Dimitrescu’s daughters, Desdemona shivered and shut her eyes to assuage her fears. If they left her alone, she felt safe in this prison. The surviving Hawthorne twin groaned when she felt immense hunger pangs gnawing at her again, her thirst making itself known once more and she briefly wondered if this was how she was going to die. Gray eyes open in a flash and a familiar dread begins to creep in.

‘I don’t want to die, not like this.’ Desdemona thinks to herself, tears prickling in her eyes as the painful memory of Desmond’s death replays repeatedly in her mind. “Good morning, Little One. Did you sleep well? I could not stop thinking about you sleeping all alone in our cellar. You poor pretty thing, mother thought it best to leave you in here after all that commotion from before.” The voice came from outside the wooden door that kept her locked in the chamber, and Desdemona immediately sat up when she heard the terrifying sound of insects dispersing into what was supposed to be her temporary haven away from all the madness.

Long, dirty blonde hair was the first thing she noticed, and Desdemona’s anxiety spiked when she realized it was Bela Dimitrescu who decided to pay her a visit. From how fondly Alcina spoke of Bela, she was clearly the second in command and that made her incredibly dangerous. Self-preservation began to kick in and Desdemona knew that she had to use her words carefully if she wished to survive this potentially fatal encounter.

“…Bela, if I may address you as such, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Desdemona carefully asked as she slowly backed away from the sadistic killer. Bela surprised the smaller girl when she didn’t laugh at her question but instead offered a small smile in response. “You’re so polite, I almost find it unusual but it’s…pleasant. I can see why mother decided to keep you and I am thankful she did. You’re the best gift she’s ever bestowed to me.” Bela replied, giggling at Desdemona’s reaction when she steps closer to her.

Desdemona’s back hits the wall and Bela’s face is now inches away from hers, shrewd golden eyes now assessing the state of her prey. The blonde firmly cups Desdemona’s chin and forces fearful gray eyes to meet her gaze.

“Please don’t kill me.” Desdemona whispers quietly, her hands instinctively reaching upwards towards her chest. Bela quirks an eyebrow at the request but does not laugh, which throws her human prey off guard considering how she behaved towards her the other day. She quickly wraps a hand around Desdemona’s wrist and tugs her closer, their noses barely touching and Bela’s eyes roll to the back of her head when she inhales the other woman’s scent.

“There are many things I want to do to you, Little One, but killing you is not one of them. You are different and I am trying to figure out how. I yearn to be around you for reasons other than your blood and it’s…frustrating.” Bela admits quietly as she looks away.

Desdemona is shocked to see Bela’s demeanor suddenly change, annoyance quickly replacing her uncertainty in that moment.

“I can see that you’re malnourished. I will send for a maiden to deliver you food as soon as possible. Your blood smells less appetizing when you humans neglect your health. Ugh.” Bela growls as she pushes Desdemona back against the wall and away from her.

Bela twists around and begins to walk towards the exit when she notices Desdemona’s dirty backpack splayed on the floor, strange and unusual curiosities spilling out of it. Her mother had thoroughly searched through the contents of her bag in case she was hiding anything dangerous but was generous enough to leave most of the contents inside alone. Bela being the inquisitive creature that she was glanced over to Desdemona before kneeling on the ground to look through her pretty little pet’s personal items.

Desdemona let out a breath that she didn’t realize she had been holding and decided to take advantage of the peculiar scene unfolding in front of her. She cautiously took a step forward and when she concluded that Bela was not going to attack, Desdemona circled around her and quietly observed the dangerous woman prying into her personal life.

Bela tilted her head in confusion when pulled out a slim device with a cracked screen from the front pocket of her backpack and when she pressed the small circular button to see if it would do anything, the screen flashed on and it made Bela jump. Desdemona did not know whether or not she should laugh in fear for her safety, so she rolled her lips to maintain a neutral facial expression.

“What is this wretched thing and what is its purpose?” Bela demands as she struggles to make sense of Desdemona’s lock screen wallpaper, which was an image of a lone wolf. ‘Is she seriously trying to make conversation with me right now? What the fuck?’ Desdemona asks herself. She knows deep down that she should feel a deep hatred for the woman in front of her, but she didn’t want to anger her and cause her to lash out violently. Desdemona wanted to live a little while longer thank you very much.

“That’s a cell phone, like uh, a mobile telephone you can take everywhere with you and make phone calls. The biggest difference between the landline phone your mother has, as I’ve noticed, and mine is that I can play music, games, and share pictures on here. Crap, my battery is just about dead though.” Desdemona replies, trying ridiculously hard to hide her disappointment when she noticed there was still no signal anywhere in this castle.

Bela’s face lit up when Desdemona mentioned pictures and giggled madly at the prospect of seeing more of this resplendent creature wherever she went. “This bloody thing needs to charge in order to remain powered? I’ll have to ask mother about it, she’s more knowledgeable about modern technology as my sisters and I have no need to know about these things…well, at least until now. Show me where to find your pictures, pet!” Bela exclaims excitedly, her energy quickly swirling and improving the dark atmosphere that surrounded them both.

Desdemona fought valiantly to keep a neutral expression on her face but Bela was making it difficult to hate her when she was this endearing about wanting to learn more about her. When Desdemona made her phone easily accessible to Bela, she showed her where to find her photo albums and she nearly jumped out of her skin when the eldest daughter squealed with absolute glee. It took a great deal of effort not to blush and smile when Bela regarded her with what appeared to be admiration as she compared her appearance from how she looked in the photos to how she looked now.

‘You’re supposed to hate her, Desdemona. They killed your twin brother or have you already forgotten that?’

This strange and unusual moment she was sharing with Bela was all in the name of self-preservation and if giving the other woman her phone meant prolonging her life, then she would gladly give these women anything if it meant she could get out of here alive.

“These photos of you…they do not do you justice. You’re more beautiful in person, you know.” Bela murmurs quietly, a tidal wave of emotions washing over in an instant the moment she says this, and Desdemona is finally able to figure out why the other woman snapped at her earlier.

Bela was lonely, a trait she found in common with Lady Dimitrescu’s eldest daughter. She may have had her sisters for company for whoever knows how long but she could easily see how a sudden wave of isolation would wash over them from time to time. They craved companionship outside of the family and wanting to form an intimate connection with other people made them the way they are now. Desdemona related to that very well but on a level that did not send her on a murderous rampage. Perhaps she could use this to her advantage later; she could manipulate her way into the fold by making them think she cared about them and eventually use their weaknesses against them. It was all too tempting of an idea.

“Bela, you can have my phone and if you’re that to determined to learn how to use it, I’ll give you my charger if your mom can help you with that. Consider it a gift, you’ve been so… lovely and kind to me so far.” Desdemona said through nearly gritted teeth, wondering how long she could keep up with the façade. Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters had been everything but kind to her and lying wasn’t in her nature.

There is an uncomfortable quietness for a split second before Bela tears her eyes away from the phone and leers at Desdemona with an unmistakable look of hunger in her eyes. Desdemona swallows hard, wondering if she had gone a touch overboard but she couldn’t think on it any longer when Bela unexpectedly leaps at her with teeth bared.

Bela pushes her frightened victim hard onto her back and laughs wildly with her head thrown back before she leans over and attempts to capture her prey’s lips in what she thinks is supposed to be a kiss. Desdemona gasps into Bela’s mouth but that quickly turns into a whine the moment she feels teeth gnashing against her dried, chapped lips in a manner so rough, it felt as though Bela intended to rip out her mouth.

‘Oh fuck, this lunatic is going to rip your mouth off of your face; do something! Do whatever it takes to survive but for fuck’s sake, don’t let her rip your mouth off!’ Desdemona’s frantic thoughts spurred her into action, the taste of her own blood already coating her tongue.

Desdemona summons enough strength to shove Bela away from her face but not off of her, her hands shakily keeping Bela in place atop of her hips. Bela, for the most part, looks furious at being rejected and she’s ready to punish her plaything for fighting back until she speaks again.

“I-if that’s what you c-call a kiss, you’ll need to do better than that, Bela. If I don’t have any lips to kiss you back, what would your sisters about say about that? Wasn’t it you that accused them of breaking me faster than you ever could? Don’t you want to savor every inch of me?” Desdemona ventures playfully, testing the waters to see if she could invoke any kind of reaction that would somehow calm Bela down. It seemed to work as Bela’s eyes widened in surprise, her hands flying up to cover her own mouth as if she were ashamed of her actions.

“You’re right, Cassandra and Daniela would never let me hear the end of it if I tore any part of you off before they get a chance to. It would be too humiliating!” Bela says as she unmounts herself from Desdemona.

Desdemona slowly begins to lean back on her arms as if to get up and the movement does not go unnoticed by Alcina’s eldest daughter. Bela grips the back of her head and forces her off the ground, her eyes slowly going over the entire length of Desdemona’s body once more. Desdemona feels her breath hitch the moment Bela tugs her closer to her body so now that their breasts were touching.

“You are driving me wild with lust, Desdemona Hawthorne, and it is dangerous for you should you dare toy with me. I mentioned earlier that you’re different from all the other maidens we interact with here in our home. The other women scream at the very sight of us! When we play, they bleed and cry for help, they fight back and run away only to find that there is nothing they can do to stop us. They don’t communicate with us, they only weep and beg for mercy and it is so very tiresome. Their blood was beginning to sicken me to the point that I thought all women’s blood was disgusting…until you came along that is.” Bela tells her in an unusually quiet tone, her grip on Desdemona’s thick tresses of hair loosening.

Desdemona licks her lips, a motion Bela follows with interest, and she sucks in a mouthful of air as she tentatively places a hand on top of Bela’s. She exhales when Bela’s fingers curl around her hand possessively.  

“Disobedience begets punishment and the maidens that dare fight back and run from us find out that my mother’s wrath comes in many unpleasant forms. You’re lucky if you’re brought down here to die, but the others…let’s just say they eek out a living in abandoned parts of my mother’s home with nothing but the memories of what they were before and now their only purpose in life is to consume the living.” Bela brings up Desdemona’s knuckles to her lips and kisses them. She forces one of Desdemona’s fingers into her mouth and moans as she sucks on the tip, immensely enjoying the other woman’s reaction to her lewd action.

Desdemona was breathing heavily now, an unsettling chill washing over her in what she assumed was fear. She could not believe what she was hearing yet Bela telling her all this so casually meant that harassing and tormenting maidens was the norm for Lady Dimitresu and her daughters. It sounded like they either fed off of the poor maidens that worked in the castle or Lady Dimitrescu herself experimented on or killed the disobedient ones.

“Where do I fit in all of this?” Desdemona asks. “Mother has seen it fit to keep you alive as my pet and I can do whatever I want with you yet you don’t fight back, you speak to me in a respectful tone and you’ve given me a gift. You have clearly declared your utmost love and devotion to me. I must keep you alive and away from my sisters so neither of them can see what you mean to me. You are my beloved!” Bela declares confidently as she reaches out to pet Desdemona’s head affectionately.

‘What?’

Desdemona freezes in place as her mind tries to absorb what is being said to her. She figured that Bela was lonely but that she was also the wisest and more mature of her sisters so she expected her to have a stronger notion as to what love entails. Desdemona should have known better to expect more from monsters who have known nothing but the horrors of sacrifice, torture, and murder in this hell house.

Bela grew slightly impatient at Desdemona’s continued silence and startled the younger girl by slapping her across the face.

“Well, do you have anything to say after I poured my heart and soul out to you or are you just toying with me? Mother and I do not tolerate the games you humans like to play.” Bela growls out menacingly as she towers over her prey, her hand reaching for the sickle that was strapped to her side.

Although she was momentarily stunned, Desdemona’s survival instincts kicked right back into gear.

“I-I understand, I apologize for my quiet demeanor but that’s how I am. I’m not used to sharing my thoughts with other people, so please bear with me, Mistress!” Desdemona begins, her hands reaching out and clutching at Bela’s hooded dress. She looked up and could see that Bela was clearly pleased with the title of ‘Mistress.’

“You’ll find that I prefer that you share your thoughts with me more often, my love, since you’ve so freely given yourself to me. I will go inform mother of our developing relationship and quickly send a maiden down here for food, you poor thing. I can hear your stomach growling and it is so pitiful to see. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave you to recover but don’t fret for too long. I’ll be back to see you soon.” Bela turned to leave but there was another question in the back of Desdemona’s mind that demanded an answer so she hurried over to Bela’s slowly disintegrating form and gripped her shoulder in order to stop her.

 Bela raised a brow at the action but when turned around, she couldn’t help but melt at the sight of Desdemona’s pretty puppy dog eyes looking up at her in love and adoration.

“Before you go, I have to know what happened to my best friend, Veronica. The loud-mouth your mother dragged around in chains. Is she…is she still alive?” Desdemona asked, unsure if she really wanted to know the answer but if she were still alive, at least she wouldn’t be alone and in miserable in Castle Dimitrescu.

 Bela smirked knowing exactly what plans her mother had in store for the other screeching woman-thing. The way Desdemona was looking at her, however, made her bite her own lip and relent. She normally kept her mother’s word and did not discuss such plans with outsiders but this was the woman who threw herself at Bela’s feet and declared her love for her.

“Mother is teaching her a lesson about obedience. She will not kill her if your friend plays her cards right, but your friend is stubborn and mother likes to beat that out of our servants. That’s all I will say on the matter, does that satisfy you?” Bela asked as she cupped Desdemona’s chin and gazed into her unfathomably deep gray eyes.

Desdemona holds back a choked sob and simply nods in response, sighing in relief when Bela finally transforms into a massive ball of insects and leaves the dungeon.

 She curls up into a ball and brings her knees tightly against her chest, tears now running freely down her face. Desdemona cries for what seems like an eternity but when she begins to calm down, a small amount of hope swells in her chest. Veronica was still alive. If they could reunite, they could come up with a plan to escape this castle without alerting Lady Dimitrescu and her demented daughters. There’s absolutely no way they could fight their way out of here, no matter how much Veronica would want to go out in the most violent way possible.

Just on the other side of the chamber’s door and down the dimly lit and gloomy hallway, Bela was on her way to see her mother when she glanced down at the strange device her beloved Desdemona had given her. Her heart was consumed by a strange, fluttering feeling that made her feel light-headed and it would have annoyed Bela if the picture on the screen wasn’t so damned tempting. It was a picture of Desdemona wearing absolutely nothing and she was posing so provocatively that it made Bela want to go back and have her way with the beauty she was looking at on screen. She had been messing around with the photo albums Desdemona showed her and found something that read ‘Hidden’. She must have clicked it by accident, and mother forgive her, she was ever so glad that she did.

Bela sighed and clutched the phone tightly to her chest, not wanting this strange sensation of desire to leave her body. She was absolutely certain that she was in love with Desdemona Hawthorne and nobody was going to take that away from her.

[asphyxiateher]

Only Monsters Come Out at Night *Chapter 6*

Chapter 6: How Do I Live Without the Ones I Love? Summary: Veronica wants Desdemona to come to her senses and escape Castle Dimitrescu with her. The problem is...Desdemona doesn’t want to. A/N: Character death. Graphic descriptions of violence. I  tried to link my previous chapters and I’m having issues sjfodsogsdkg I’ll edit when I get a chance to lol

              Desdemona was slowly losing her mind the longer she tried to stay alive in Castle Dimitrescu. Alcina’s daughters were more than what she could handle but she did what she could to stay on their good side. Her methods were unusual to say the least, but she managed to live another day because of her strategizing. Bela was the eldest daughter, so her needs came first when she required Desdemona’s attention. Cassandra was the middle child, and she had her own insecurities that made her a little high maintenance, but Desdemona didn’t mind that at all. Daniela was…well, she was certainly rambunctious enough to keep the surviving Hawthorne twin on her toes. Desdemona had managed to prevent another poor maiden from being struck by a blunt object by immediately interfering and pulling Bela to the side to calm her down with a kiss. They stayed in each other’s warm embrace for quite a while, giving the maiden time to excuse herself and run off elsewhere. The distraction was effective, and Desdemona could have pulled away the moment she knew the other woman was safe, but she didn’t. Bela hummed happily against her lips and Desdemona reveled in the feeling of being wanted so of course she was reluctant to break the spell between her and Bela. That’s what was starting to feel unusual for Desdemona. The more time she spent with each of the sisters, the less she hated it. They were evil, filthy creatures and yet she could not get enough of them.

Cassandra made her forget that she was a sadistic monster that enjoyed tormenting the people around her for giggles. Desdemona decided to watch some of her movies with Cassandra on her laptop, and she made the mistake of playing Chicago, her all-time favorite musical. As soon as ‘Cell Block Tango’ came on, Cassandra became so infatuated with the song and the scene itself, she asked Desdemona to replay it several times until she memorized the lyrics. It was fascinating to observe the vampire attempt to recreate the dances she had just seen so she laughed at the utter absurdity of it all. Cassandra suddenly stopped dancing and glared at Desdemona. “What are you laughing at?” She asks, now completely uncertain of herself as she nervously plays with her hair.

“Nothing, I swear. You just look so happy, it’s kind of cute.” Desdemona replies, her mouth snapping shut the moment she realized what she had just told the other woman.

She’s blushing now, unsure of why she had just told her captor that she thought she was cute. Cassandra’s scowl slowly turns into a knowing smirk, and she places her hands on her hips as she stares down at Desdemona with hungry eyes. Desdemona gulps. Was she about to be gutted alive or were they about to engage in what Cassandra calls physical play? She didn’t have a chance to rethink what she could have done differently in that moment as Cassandra throws herself on top of Desdemona, her hands clawing at her clothes and cupping the most intimate parts of her body. While Cassandra respected her boundaries when it came to wanting more, Desdemona did not come out of that room unscathed.

The hickeys and bruises did not bother any of the sisters much as they knew they had to share their favorite little pet between all of them. Daniela enjoyed marking Desdemona as much as the other two did but she was convinced her love bites meant more to her human pet because their “love” was true and eternal. Desdemona dared not contradict her in fear of her throat being slit but she played along with it. Eventually, Daniela would grow bored of her, would she not? It was hard to say especially when she wanted to snuggle with Desdemona almost every night and wanted her to read one of her books aloud. Desdemona would read to Daniela and the red-haired vampire would listen patiently, her fingers tracing senseless patterns along her plaything’s arms.

Other days, Daniela liked to play rough and tossed Desdemona around like a rag doll when it was her turn to spend time with the pet. Daniela just wanted to assert her dominance with the human and to let her know that she was hers to love and play with. Desdemona endured painful slaps to her face and rear, bites to her breasts and deep scratches on her back only for Daniela to giggle at her handiwork and whisper in her ear how much she loved seeing the smaller girl covered in her markings. It ought to be too much to bear for Desdemona, but for some reason…it wasn’t enough. She kept going back for more every time so she must have learned to like it. Desdemona figured she must have been conditioned to enjoy it because no longer could she hear the rational voice in her head telling her to run away and push back but instead, she hears whispers that soothe her into submission. She is convinced she’s losing her mind and her best friend could easily verify that.

In fact, Veronica had not been herself either for quite some time, Desdemona noticed, and her behavior had been odd ever since she toured unseen parts of the mansion with Lady Dimitrescu. Her demeanor was subdued in a way she had never seen before, and she tried asking her friend about it but all she would get in return was a furious shaking of her head. There was no glimmer of hope in Veronica’s eyes anymore; instead, Desdemona found herself staring into a void of despair whenever she tried meeting her friend’s gaze. It was a little worrying for a while until one day, she recognized a familiar spark ignite in Veronica once more.

 Her friend was hot-headed and sometimes the littlest of things could set her off and today, of all days, Veronica reacted to the sight of Desdemona cozying up to Daniela in the library. Desdemona was not aware that her best friend was allowed to roam the premises freely but judging by the uniform her friend was presumably forced into, she was possibly tasked with cleaning the ground level while the other maids were sent upstairs. Veronica kept a neutral facial expression as she approached her best friend, but she swallowed hard at the sight of Daniela’s hand being held by Desdemona. She couldn’t help but clear her throat awkwardly as she stood in front of them snuggled up so comfortably on the couch.

“Dezzy, I need to have a word with you…in private, if you can grant me the time.” Veronica says stiffly, her nostrils flaring the longer she found herself staring at Desdemona. As for Desmond’s twin, she was in such a state that would imply she had just gotten intimate with the vampire with the smug grin on her face. Veronica noticed a new hickey on the nape of her best friend’s neck, and she had to clench her fists to keep herself grounded.

“Veronica! Yeah, I’ve been wondering where you went, I think we need to catch up. Will you excuse us, Daniela?” Desdemona responds, her cheeks reddening at the fact that she had been caught in a private moment with one of her mistresses.

 Daniela lazily glances up at her mother’s little plaything and grimaces at the sight of her.

“Don’t keep me waiting, love. You know I don’t like to be kept waiting.” Daniela says as she plants a sloppy kiss on the corner of Desdemona’s mouth. She casts a menacing look over to Veronica before she turns to walk away, giggling like a madwoman.

Desdemona exhales anxiously and gestures for Veronica to lead the way into the corridor. Veronica ignores the request and leads them to the nearest available window, staring outside and trying to make sense of what she could. The windows were frosted over, ice building up quickly and the view of the outside world was smothered by snow. Desdemona used to like the cold weather, but recently, she’s developed an aversion to freezing temperatures. She wanted to stay warm and snuggled up close with Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela. She could not admit it out loud, but she ached to be near any of them and there was a profound sense of longing whenever she was away too long. She is changing and she thinks Veronica has noticed.

“You know, it’s amazing how quickly you’ve forgotten that these freaks were responsible for Desmond’s death. Our mothers are out there trying to get a hold of us because we haven’t been keeping in touch like we’ve promised and now they’re thinking something horrible must have happened. News flash: your twin brother, my loving boyfriend, was disemboweled in front of us and you’re out here fucking the vampires that are torturing us! What the fuck, Desdemona?!” Veronica shouted, the calm and collected manner in how she usually carried herself in conversations quickly turning up a few notches.

Desdemona was taken aback, clearly not prepared to have this conversation with her best friend though she knew it wasn’t going to be easy regardless.

“V-Veronica, I haven’t seen you in three days since you Alcina took you and you want to talk about what I’ve resorted to doing for survival?” Desdemona asks, ignoring the way Veronica rolled her eyes at that.

“For survival or for your sick pleasure, Des? In the past few days since my unfortunate trip down to what I think is the portal to Hell, I’ve seen you and how you behave around these monsters. I’m worried for you; I think they’re changing you and I don’t like it. I understand being compliant out of fear, but you’ve been getting real goddamn cozy with them, like they’re all your lovers or whatever! I need you to tell me what is going on because from my perspective, it looks like you stopped giving a shit about survival and you are just giving yourself freely to them like some pathetic, spineless slut!” Veronica replies hotly, taking a step towards Desdemona, who doesn’t flinch. Daniela was still hovering around the library but she instantly appears next to a bookshelf to observe the conversation more carefully should the other human overstep her boundaries. She pulls out her sickle and grips it tightly in case she has to defend her lover from the loud-mouthed pet her mother enjoyed tormenting.

“You have some nerve, Veronica, you won’t even tell me what happened to you down there! You don’t think I’ve been traumatized by what I’ve experienced so far? I don’t know what’s fucking happening to me anymore! Everything you’re telling me to do, like find weaknesses and whatnot, it all makes sense to me but it’s not sinking in for whatever reason. I have this urge to run away but it goes away when I hear these voices in my head telling me not to leave the girls. I’m tethered to all of them, V, I don’t know how but there’s this fucking connection I have with each and every one of them and it’s like I’m in physical pain when I think about hurting or leaving them. I’m more whole as a person now then I ever was before because of them and I don’t know what that says about me.” Tears begin to stream down Desdemona’s face and Veronica somewhat relents.

She lets out a frustrated sigh and places a comforting hand on Desdemona’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze before she speaks to her with a calm voice.

 “You want to talk about traumatic experiences, then let’s do it without downplaying each other’s experiences. I clearly don’t know what you’re going through, it sounds…difficult, and very hard to believe, but you’re obviously bothered by it. Do you want to know what I just went through to get the opportunity to speak to you outside of the dungeon? Another maid paid with her life to grant me this position. The countess dragged me to some dark, untouched part of the castle where we were confronted by this horrifying…slimy, blob creature that looked like a goddamn mutated fetus.” “You can hear its ungodly laughter as it approached us and from the elevator, Alcina pushed out the other maid that was with us and she locked the door behind her. I had to watch this ungodly science experiment eat another human being alive and Alcina made me watch every second of it. Every bone crunching sound it made and the unforgettable wailing from the poor maid haunts me when I try to fall asleep at night. If it weren’t for that maid, I doubt I’d be up here begging you to come to your senses. I need your help, Dezzy. Please understand how much I need you to see how badly we need to get the fuck out of here.” Veronica finishes as she pulls Desdemona into a hug. She’s weeping onto her shoulder now and all Desdemona could do was squeeze her tighter and hold her for longer. Even though Veronica had been ready to throw hands with Desdemona, it was almost always too easy to get her to calm down when she held her like this in her arms. Everything felt normal in that moment, like everything was as it should be but deep down, Desdemona knew that wasn’t true. Especially when Veronica sniffed and pulled out a journal, almost like it was a personal diary, and placed it in Desdemona’s hands.

“I think once you read the first few entries, you’ll be a little more comfortable with the idea of leaving this place once and for all, just you and me. I found this while I was snooping around in that horrible part of the castle and I just knew I had to show you. All we have to do is open a few windows and we can do away with lady Dimitrescu’s daughters. Once we get rid of them, we escape mama’s wrath and run back home where we belong.” Veronica tells Desdemona as she plants a kiss on her forehead. Desdemona did not have much of a chance to respond before Daniela spoke up for her. They hear maniacal laughter echoing from behind one of the bookshelves and it’s all it takes for Veronica’s sour mood to return.

“Get rid of me and my sisters? Oh you foul human, it’s so adorable that you think you can take on all of us, let alone me. I’ll let you off with a warning because my plaything is attached to you for whatever reason but touch her again, I’ll shove this sickle so far down your throat, you’ll be shitting steel. Now back off!” Daniela warns as she approaches Veronica, a move her friend was hoping would happen since they just so happened to be standing next to a window.

Guilt begins to settle in the pit of Desdemona’s stomach as a new conflict arose from within. She shouldn’t be conspiring against her mistresses for they loved and cared for her but then again, she should be siding with her best friend, someone she had known since she was eight years old. She didn’t know what to do, her worry beginning to initiate a full blown panic attack. “Why don’t you make me back off, you disgusting piece of rotten filth! If I’m going to go out, it’s going to be on my fucking terms and I’m not going down without a fight.” Veronica says as she shoves Desdemona behind her.

Daniela smirks, then raises her sickle in preparation for the fight to come. What comes next sends both Daniela and Desdemona into a panic. Veronica quickly twists around to fully open the window, a freezing cold blast of air hitting Daniela and impairing her almost immediately. The pained shriek she lets out could be felt throughout the castle, but Desdemona feels it tugging at her heart.

“I…don’t…do well…in the…cold! You can’t stop me…mother…will kill…you!” Daniela moans, dropping her weapon as she starts to solidify under the intense temperature change in the room.

The red-haired woman is wildly swinging her arms around and Desdemona can tell she’s slowing down. It’s only going to get worse, and Desdemona is torn.

Veronica rushes to pick up the bust of a famous historical figure off the nearest pedestal and slams it against Daniela’s head. She howls in pain and Desdemona has to hold back tears as she watches her best friend attempt to murder Alcina’s youngest. She’s frozen to the spot, painfully aware that Veronica is shouting at her and ordering her to help her but she hears dark whispers in her head again. “Daniela, what on Earth are you shouting about – wait, what are you doing to my daughter?! GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF HER AT ONCE!” Alcina’s voice booms through the library and it seems to pull Desdemona out of her reverie.

Alcina looks furious as she strides towards them from across the library, her claws beginning to form and from either side of her follow both of her daughters with terrified expressions on their faces as they watch their sister die from the harsh winter cold air. “Mother, what about Daniela? Is there anything we can do for her or is it too late!?” “Daniela, no, hold on just a little longer, we’re almost there!” Veronica glances over at Desdemona and tosses over Daniela’s sickle to her. “Come on, Des, it’s now or never, let’s send out the message that we should never have gotten fucked with. Let’s go!” She shouts as she encourages Desdemona to deliver the killing blow.

Desdemona is violently shaking as she observes Daniela’s form slowly start to freeze over and it isn’t until she sees the heart-breaking expression on the dying woman’s face that Desdemona decides what to do.

“I don’t…want…to die!” She screeches, the words vibrating in Desdemona’s skull.

The dark whispers tell her that she can still save Daniela’s life and that all would be forgiven should she do so. Her mistress loves her, and she needs her to love her back. Desdemona would have to forsake her old life in order to live out the rest of her days in Castle Dimitrescu but the only obstacle that was left remained alive: Veronica.

Her best friend since elementary school, Desdemona closes her eyes and fondly remembers the first time they met. Veronica brought her Spice Girl dolls to play with at recess but nobody wanted to play with her. Desdemona shyly approached her and asked if she could join in on the fun because she loved the Spice Girls too and Veronica welcomed her into her life. Ever since then, the girls became inseparable. From sleepovers to prom night to celebrating each other’s eighteenth birthdays by going to LGBT nightclubs, Veronica was like family to Desdemona. After this holiday trip, Desmond was going to propose to V and they were all going to move in together down in Colorado where Veronica’s mother lived and where V planned on continuing going to school.

Desdemona exhales and steadies her grip on the sickle as she walks towards the open window. She slams it shut, reluctantly turning to face Veronica who was just about to smash the bust against Daniela’s face again. Cassandra and Bela immediately rush over to Daniela and embrace their younger sibling, relief etched on Alcina’s face for a moment before she refocused her rage towards Veronica.

Desdemona couldn’t take it anymore, she knew she had to follow her heart and so she did. “Dezzy, what the fuck are you -hhhng!” Veronica begins, her jaw dropping as the heavy bust she’d been carrying fell to the floor.

The last thing Veronica’s beautiful dark brown eyes saw were a pair of cold, gray eyes staring at her with regret and soft pink lips mouthing “I’m so sorry, Veronica!” repeatedly. Desdemona pierced through the side of Veronica’s skull with Daniela’s sickle, her hands twisting and pushing until all life finally drained out of her best friend. The hardest part for Desdemona was watching the light leave those familiar pretty eyes and it was all because of her. When she yanked the sickle back out, V’s body dropped to the floor with a loud thud and a chunk of flesh remained on the edge of the weapon she had just used on her best friend. Desdemona felt bile rise in the back of her throat, so she turned and threw up, her hands still shaking after she was able to gather her strength to look up again.

Alcina’s claws retracted as the woman stared down at Veronica’s corpse before looking back at Daniela then over to Desdemona, who was now kneeling on the ground.

“You saved my daughter’s life. Words cannot express how grateful I am for your intervention. I understand this may be difficult for you, but you made the right choice. Thank you.” Alcina tells Desdemona, leaning over to place a comforting hand on her shoulder before retreating to where her daughters stood.

“She saved my life! I told you Desdemona loves me the most out of all of us! She truly cares for me!” Daniela croaks out, trying her best to wriggle free from her sisters’ hold on her but they were stubborn.

“Not bad for her first kill. I prefer a hot blood bath myself, but I’m seriously impressed. Oh crap, I think she’s going to freak out.” Cassandra says with a chuckle as they all watch Desdemona react to Veronica’s death with interest.

Desdemona was sobbing uncontrollably now, her body rocking back and forth as she tries to wipe off the blood on her hands. Her eyes flick over to the sickle with the chunk of brain on the end of it and back to Veronica’s lifeless body. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry, V! I loved you more than anything!” She whispers to herself, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort. It wasn’t going to last long, however, as Lady Dimitrescu’s daughters surrounded Desdemona and Veronica’s corpse laying at their feet.

“Tonight we celebrate each and every one of you with a feast. This wasn’t how I wanted dinner to be served, but as you can see, Desdemona Hawthorne is eager to please. How can we refuse such a beautiful gift from our lovely newcomer? I say dig in, girls.” Alcina declares before she walks over to Desdemona’s kneeling form and forcefully sets her upright.

“Wait- wait, what do you mean dinner is served? What are you going to do to Veronica’s body?” Desdemona asked with desperation evident in her voice.

Alcina Dimitrescu simply smiled and held Desdemona close to her body, keeping her in place with a headlock so tight that if the younger girl tried to escape, Alcina could easily pull it right off. “Your corruption is not yet complete my dear. I am simply welcoming you to my family and you will become accustomed to how we do everything around here. My daughters love you and you will learn to love everything about them, including how they feast on the blood of the innocent. Now hush, girl, and be thankful you are not the corpse ready to be devoured.” Alcina whispers in her ear before she laughs at Desdemona’s feeble attempts to escape.

“No, oh for the love of God, please don’t make me watch! That’s m-my best friend, please don’t do this to me! I’d rather you kill me now, please, just don’t make me watch!” Desdemona pleads and screams but it does nothing, it only sweetens the air around the ravenous vampires who are about to tear into the corpse at their feet. Daniela growls when she uses her sickle to cut off Veronica’s tongue, Bela giggles as she begins to yank out Veronica’s piercings one by one and Cassandra has already begun working on tearing out her limbs. “Save me her mouth, I wish to savor the flavor of a pathetic nobody that dared to try and take away my precious Desdemona.” Daniela says as she throws her head back to laugh wildly along with Bela and Cassandra.

Desdemona’s screams and protests are ignored, Alcina forcing her eyes open as she’s forced to watch the three vampires consume her best friend. When Bela cuts into certain parts of her flesh, blood sprays out and lands on Desdemona’s face, causing the young girl to feel faint. She eventually can’t handle the horror of watching the girls tear apart Veronica and so she passes out in Lady Dimitrescu’s arms. The last thing she remembers hearing before the world fades to black is Cassandra chastising her mother for laughing and begs her to let Desdemona sleep in her arms instead.

[asphyxiateher]

Only Monsters Come Out at Night

Chapter 5: I’ll Tell You My Sins So You Can Sharpen Your Knife

Summary: Desdemona is slowly losing herself but survival is still critical, especially when she must spend time with Daniela alone. A/N: Thank you all for the support, I’ve been busy with work but this story in my head needs to be written so I can get it out of my system. lol I’ll polish and edit this when I can. :) 

           To say the previous night was eventful would be an understatement but to Cassandra’s credit, she did not push for more than what Desdemona was willing to give. Now, Desdemona wasn’t saying that Cassandra was gentle or pleasant when she declined engaging in more intimate activities, but Cassandra understood the meaning of “no” and backed off in exchange for learning more about Desdemona. The smaller girl thought she was being clever by saying she would only get physical with her if they took the time to get to know each other better first and she was surprised when Cassandra reluctantly agreed. Des introduced Cassandra to the laptop she had brought with her on their trip and the woman was in absolute awe of the power of modern-day technology. She had begun explaining about what movies were and what she currently had downloaded onto her pc when Cassandra astonished Desdemona with a personal question.

“What brought you all the way out here in the first place anyway, Little One? Don’t get me wrong, you’re the most fascinating group of visitors we’ve had in such a long time, but for a pretty face like you to be stranded out here on your own with me? Seems foolish.” Cassandra asked as she lay on the bed next to Desdemona who suddenly snapped her laptop shut.

“Desmond and I graduated from college and we had money saved up to go embark on what was supposed to be a memorable adventure. I’ve always been into horror and science fiction movies as well as novels and comic books so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tour the castle that inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula, one of my favorite classics. Look how well that turned out.” Desdemona says bitterly, nervously fiddling with her fingers.

Cassandra attempted to reach out and wrap her fingers around Desdemona’s hand, but she became hesitant and pulled back instead as if she were unsure if the gesture would be welcome.

“Your brother is dead. That is something we cannot undo but I understand your anger. Bela and Daniela are trying at times, but I do love them more than anything really. I have the power to kill at will and I will not falter should anything happen to my dear sisters. You, on the other hand, are persevering in a way that’s admirable, Desdemona. You are innocent and you want to survive. You are stronger for that more than you’ll ever know.” Cassandra tells her quietly, her teeth wedged between her lips as though she may have said too much to her human plaything.

Desdemona was taken aback by what Cassandra had said and it must have shown on her face because Cassandra suddenly looked irritated with how deep the conversation was going.

“If you are not going to allow me the pleasures of your flesh, then allow me to drink from you as I’m quite parched!” She snarled before she pounced on top of Desdemona, her razor-sharp teeth flashing dangerously. One minute, she’s howling in pain the moment Cassandra pierces through her skin and begins drinking her blood and the very next, she passes out from the blood loss while still laying underneath the ill-tempered vampire. She sleeps for a few hours, only stirring awake when she feels a comfortable presence beside her. She groggily opens her eyes only to find Veronica staring at her, concern clearly etched on her face.

“Shh, shh hey, you’re okay now, Dezzy. C’mere, let me take a look at you. You were tossing and turning the whole time after they brought you back down here. I don’t know what they did to you, but we can switch places if you’d like. I think Lady Dimitrescu might take a liking to you.” Veronica says jokingly as she runs shaky fingers through Desdemona’s tangled locks.

Desdemona sighs at the contact and smiles at her best friend’s attempt to soothe her.

“That’s funny, V. Not sure I fancy calling my dentist and canceling all future appointments ‘cause I found a titan of woman with big tits to pull all my teeth for me. Nah, I think I’ll stick to reluctantly donating my blood to three horny vampire women, thank you very much.” Desdemona scoffs out a laugh when Veronica playfully swats at her arm.

“Fuck off, it was only a few teeth and yeah, that crazy bitch has got fists the size of hams so of course she can knock them straight out of me!” Veronica exclaimed. “Ugh. I’ll be honest though Des, I’m scared. Not for me ‘cause I know what’s coming if I keep putting up a fight, but I’m scared for you.” She continues, her voice now a whisper as she lays down on the cold hard stone floor and placing her hand on top of Desdemona’s.

“I’m scared for both of us. Why aren’t you more worried about you?” Desdemona squeezes her best friend’s hand and rests her head against Veronica’s shoulder.

 “You’re being forced to entertain three vampires who could bleed you dry the way Elizabeth Bathory did her victims. The way they manhandle you and take occasional sips from you is fucking horrific! I don’t understand how you’re not freaking out over it.” Veronica licks her chapped lips and glances back at Desdemona. “These could be our very last moments alive together. I need you to promise me that you will look for weaknesses that we can use against them. Fight for your right to live, babes, fight for Desmond the way he would have wanted us to. We can’t keep taking what they’re giving us, it will kill us.”

Deep down, Desdemona knew her best friend was right but how could she expect her to put up a fight against three undead creatures that can transform into a massive ball of insects at any given time? She felt so helpless and utterly alone in the way that made her feel insignificant next to her best friend. Veronica was fearless in the face of death and Desdemona felt like a coward. She wanted to survive this ordeal so badly, she practically groveled in submission to be spared from any form of punishment and observing the bruises and cuts along on V’s skin, she felt so incredibly guilty for not putting up a hard enough fight.

 “V, I don’t know how to explain it. I want to get out of here as much as you do, but as soon as my mind tells me to do something logical, I do the exact opposite. It’s like I do not want any of Alcina’s daughters to hate me, so I go out of my way to please them. It’s driving me crazy, and I don’t know if I’m just weak willed when it comes to them but fuck it…I just don’t want to die.” Desdemona admits, turning her head to face Veronica who meets her gaze at the same time.

 “Nothing wrong with wanting to live a little longer but don’t throw away your dignity for these monsters who don’t give a flying fuck about you. From what the countess herself has said about her daughters is that they entertain whatever pretty little maiden comes their way for a minute before they get bored and eat their corpse when they’re done. Don’t let them belittle you, use you, and kill you when you’re worth more than you’ll ever know.” Veronica tells her before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Feeling renewed, Desdemona continues to enjoy the few moments of peace with her best friend before they hear the dreaded sound of heels clicking in the dungeon.

“Well, cur, you know what it’s time for and you’ll be delighted to know I have so many wonderful things to show you. Get up, and brace yourself because after this, I guarantee you that you will not be the same after today.” Alcina declares as she unlocks the chamber door to their room.

Veronica grudgingly sits up and sighs, squeezing Desdemona’s hands one last time before standing. “Alcina, what a lovely surprise. I was just beginning to miss you, my lady. Oh, how I’ve been withering away down here knowing that I’ve gone a day without a beating. Thank you oh so much for finally blessing us with your presence.” Veronica says with a smirk only for it to be smacked off her face a second later.

“Silence, heathen! You will speak only when spoken to. For now, you will only be required to observe and shadow a maiden I no longer have use for. As for you, Desdemona, Daniela will be waiting in the library. Do not keep her waiting, dear.” Alcina says ominously, a chill running down Desdemona’s spine at the mere mention of her youngest daughter’s name.

Veronica casts her a fleeting sympathetic look before they both follow Lady Dimitrescu out of the cellar. Once they had gone their separate ways, Desdemona’s anxiety climbed to seemingly immeasurable heights. She came out of her previous encounters with lady Dimitrescu’s other daughters alive so that was good, but what of Daniela? She already gave off the impression that she was delusional and violent when provoked so Desdemona’s chance of survival at this rate was questionable at best.

When Desdemona arrived in front of the entrance to the library, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. After a few more minutes of contemplating whether she should enter Daniela’s realm, she makes up her mind and crosses the threshold. Her jaw drops at the magnificent sight behold her. She’s in a vast circular room that is surrounded by sumptuous bookshelves and brilliant décor that has her almost envying the fact that this space belonged to someone like Daniela.

“Are you looking for me, darling? Come play with me, I’ll let you live in the meantime.” A shrill voice from behind one of the bookcases catches Desdemona off guard and she nearly trips over herself when she turns to find Daniela quickly approaching her.

“H-hi Daniela, I came to s-see you. How are you doing?” Desdemona asks as she continues to back away from the dangerous woman staring at her with the unmistakable look of hunger in her eyes. Daniela laughs uncontrollably and covers her mouth when she’s done. The red headed woman gives Desdemona an agonizingly slow once-over and licks her lips as though she were feeling ravenous at the sight.

“You’re so sweet to ask. You must have fallen hard for me, but you shouldn’t be surprised; everyone falls for me in time.” Daniela says in an almost sickeningly sweet voice. ‘Ok, so this fucking lunatic thinks you’re in love with her. Good, maybe she’d be less inclined to kill you.’ Desdemona thinks to herself, her back now pressed against a polished marble column.

“Y-yeah, I wanted to see you but only if you weren’t busy. I just thought you could use some company.” Des replies. This pleases Daniela immensely, so she takes a step closer to inhale the other girl’s scent. She was terrified and her blood smelled so delicious because of it. She needed to taste her, absorb everything that was Desdemona and revel in the symphony of her screams when she was done with her.

 “I could always use company, especially yours, my love. A few moments ago, I would have been just fine snuggling by the fireplace and having you read with me. Now that you’re here smelling quite tasty, there’s something else I want.” She says with a giggle before instantly making moves so that she was now only a few inches apart from Desdemona’s face.

Desdemona gasps when Daniela reveals her hidden sickle and suddenly tears a long cut through her shirt and pants. Moaning in ecstasy, Daniela begins to pick apart her torn clothing and caresses the smooth expanse of skin that was exposed to her. Desdemona shuts her eyes and turns her head to the side when the other woman lunges at her with an open mouth.

“Ugh, why are you rejecting me? Don’t you love me? Apologize at once and I’ll forgive you. Everybody makes mistakes.” Daniela whispers in a low, threatening tone. Desdemona feels tears begin to form when Daniela lowers her head and begins to suck and gently nibble on her neck. Veronica’s words come to mind about not putting up with whatever form of abuse they were going to give and she tries to summon every ounce of bravery she could muster. She pushes hard against Daniela and frees herself from her grasp. She twists and begins running in the other direction, not looking back at the crazed woman shrieking at her.

“Why are you doing this to me? I thought you loved me!” Desdemona was about to reach the doorway that led out of the library when a massive ball of insects appeared before her. She wasn’t able to react quickly enough so when she tried to turn again, she felt Daniela pounce on her from behind, tackling her to the floor. There was no use struggling against the immortal creature that perched herself on top of her so when Daniela forcefully flipped her onto her back, Desdemona saw her life flash before her eyes the moment Daniela raised her sickle, as if she were ready to swing at her. The logical part of her brain wanted this to end quickly, to spare herself from further embarrassment every time she pleaded for her life. But then there were dark whispers from an unknown entity, her broken survival instincts or those pesky intrusive thoughts perhaps, that were telling her to kiss Daniela in order to calm her down. She doesn’t know why or how it makes perfect sense but it does; Desdemona could either choose to die on her own terms or she could appease this goddess before her and worship her.

‘Where the hell are those thoughts coming from and why do I have a sudden urge to kiss Daniela? Gods help me.’ The frantic thoughts are the last to cross her mind as Desdemona leans up and yanks Daniela close to her level by her pendant.

Daniela’s eyes widen in surprise when she feels Desdemona’s lips press themselves against hers. After a few tense moments of not receiving the response she was hoping for, Desdemona begins pulling away but then she’s pulled back into a more frenzied, intense kiss. Daniela sighs against her mouth, her sickle dropping and causing the sound of metal clanging against the floor to echo in the room. When the need for air becomes too great for the smaller girl, she gently breaks the kiss and Daniela is suddenly looking at her with hooded eyes, desire visible in those beautiful golden hued orbs of hers. “Why did you run away from me? I hate it when my pretty playthings run away from me.” Daniela asks softly, the delicate tone in her voice surprising the both of them.

Desdemona’s voice wavers when she speaks, but she steadies herself by cautiously wrapping an arm around Daniela’s neck. She doesn’t know why she’s actively reaching out to touch the dangerous red-headed woman, she can’t explain why she’s craving for more contact, but she does and it’s scary as hell. “B-because I don’t want my f-first time with anyone to be meaningless. I’ve n-never gotten this close with anyone before and…I want it to be special. Call me old fashioned, but I’d rather you slit my throat right now before I give myself to you. I need to know you on a deeper level.” Desdemona’s cheeks are flushed a deep crimson color as she admits this, not knowing why she’s opening herself up like this to Daniela but those darker thoughts that linger somewhere in her mind are praising her.

Daniela takes a sharp breath in response to Desdemona’s words and quirks an eyebrow at the smaller girl. She was completely stunned by the revelation.

“Wait, you’re running away from me because you haven’t…not with anyone else before?” Daniela asked carefully.

Desdemona nods, wondering why this would matter to her at all. Daniela was going to slit her throat for wasting her time and-

“Oh Desdemona, why didn’t you tell me sooner? I didn’t mean to make you so nervous! Don’t get me wrong, I’m disappointed that I don’t get to make you mine tonight but I’m willing to wait for you. You’re my soulmate and if you want to get to know me before we get close, then we’ll do just that.” Daniela says, her voice huskier now than it was a moment ago. She reaches in between their pressed bodies and lowers her hand so now that her fingers were skimming along smooth skin until Daniela reaches Desdemona’s underwear.

 Underneath Daniela’s fierce, lust filled gaze, Desdemona moans into the other woman’s ear when she feels Daniela cup her womanhood possessively. This prompted Daniela to capture Desdemona’s lips in a ravenous kiss that left her feeling both thirsty and wanting more. The smaller girl, on the other hand, was quickly losing herself in the kiss, not understanding why the dark voices in her head were pressing her to do more. She couldn’t hear Veronica’s words of warning but instead sinister whispers that poisoned her thoughts. Desdemona was almost fully convinced to give herself to Daniela in that moment but then she remembers the conversation she had with her best friend earlier. This was all about survival, that’s all this should be about. She should not be indulging herself like this with these…creatures. ‘Your masters. Address them appropriately.’ The wicked voice in her head is not her own. Alarmed, Desdemona breaks the kiss with Daniela, who dives in again to lick Desdemona’s lips.

“Mmm, judging by the way you kissed me, you want me to be your first, don’t you? I can wait for you darling, but only if you promise that when you’re ready, you’ll come find me. Not Bela, not Cassandra nor my beautiful mother. I want to be the one to break you in. My sisters always get what they want but this, I want this more than anything. Pledge yourself to me.” Daniela murmurs darkly, her teeth gently nibbling on Desdemona’s earlobe.

Desdemona wants to shove her off and run away again while she has the chance. She wants to take Veronica’s hand and escape Castle Dimitrescu together. She just wants to go home, mourn her twin brother with her family and be somewhere safe and quiet and away from all of this.

Instead, Desdemona smiles at Daniela and tucks a few stray strands of red hair behind her ear. It was adorable how Daniela quickly leaned into the touch, a smile of her own gracing blood smeared lips.

“I’m yours, completely. I’ll take good care of you if you promise to do the same to me.” Desdemona says, her voice not following what her brain was trying to command her to say. ‘Kick, scream, run! Don’t let them control you, don’t let them compel you to do anything you don’t want to do –‘ ‘Obey. Listen to your masters, they own you and your body. You are theirs to do as they wish. You belong to them and nobody else. Do not disobey or you will be punished.’

There it was again, the sinister voice that did not belong to her and it was overwhelming.

Whatever rational thoughts Desdemona had as she continued to embrace Daniela in her arms had left. The last thing Desdemona remembers thinking about before she got up to join Daniela in her favorite corner to read was how much darker and menacing the bruises and hickeys all three sisters left on her skin were starting to look. They were deep red and purple, black spider veins were also beginning to sprout and spread throughout her body.

Were Lady Dimitrescu’s daughters subtly infecting her with some kind of disease or were they creating a bond with her every time they bit and clawed at her? Desdemona’s thoughts lingered on the last part before she uncharacteristically ignored what had just transpired between Daniela and herself. Ties had been indeed created but what Desdemona can’t help but wonder what the cost to sharing a dangerous bond with all three women was? She doesn’t think on it much longer as she’s seated on Daniela’s favorite couch and Daniela rests her head on Desdemona’s lap, a chosen book for her to read aloud in hand. Her mind is placated and the desire to please her Mistress takes over. Nothing else mattered anymore.

[asphyxiateher]

Only Monsters Come Out At Night

Chapter Four: The Ties that Bind

Summary: Desdemona receives a warning from Lady Dimitrescu before she sets off to spend time with Cassandra. Veronica is alive but just barely. 

A/N: This chapter is longer than anticipated, I tried to be descriptive without being too wordy but alas, I hope you enjoy anyway. 

Desdemona Hawthorne wishes she could convince herself that she does not believe in luck because it’s a flimsy excuse that most people fall back on to justify the unfavorable circumstances they may find themselves in. Growing up in the suburbs, she had heard all kinds of non-sense about how putting enough positive thoughts and energy out in the universe would grant you the gift of receiving everything you have ever wanted in return. Desdemona isn’t quite sure how to describe her current predicament, but she is certain that even vomiting rainbows and shitting out sunshine would not be enough to get her out of Castle Dimitrescu. No, this is the rotten luck she’s grown accustomed to having follow her around and it had tainted this vacation from the beginning. She just wanted to see the castle that inspired Dracula and learn about its history so she could say she went out there to pursue a seemingly impossible dream and made it come true.

Desdemona did not come out here to be imprisoned by three monstrous vampires who either wanted to kill her or fuck her, she couldn’t tell which they wanted to do more of at this point, so this whole unnerving, unpleasant experience warranted a refund. She had been expecting a tour guide and a group of fellow tourists when her group made it up here but instead, here she was stuck in a foul-smelling, subterranean cellar that was currently occupied by her and the three vampiric sisters she mentioned earlier. The eldest sister, Bela, stood in front of Desdemona protectively as she attempted to swat away at her sisters that were now slowly approaching them with raised sickles. “She’s mine, you delusional twit! She gave me something that was clearly important to her, that means she has declared herself to me!” Bela hollered, hissing when Daniela swung her sickle at her. “Bela, you selfish brat, you’re always sucking up to Mother and trying to be better than us at everything, but she told you to share! I am sick and tired of being given the leftovers; sometimes I want the first bite, you know!” Cassandra whines, transforming into a massive ball of insects only to instantly appear by Desdemona’s side.   “Cassandra, you know how it is with Bela; we do all the work, and she takes all the credit! Let us humble our dear sister and take what is rightfully ours.” Daniela snarls, a dangerous glint in her eyes as she flicks her gaze over to Desdemona. She licks her lips and moans when she takes in her prey’s scent, her fear sweetening her blood.

Desdemona was at a loss for words the moment Daniela expressed her clear distaste for her sister’s arrogance. It was not only what came out of her mouth that perplexed the human, but it was in the manner of how she complained to Cassandra about Bela. The whole unsettling conversation between the siblings made Desdemona feel like they were ready to tear her apart so they could divide her evenly between the three of them. In hindsight, she probably should not have given any of the sisters a gift if this was going to be the reaction, but had they all been here the other day, maybe she could have given them all a little something to remember her by at the same time. However, this little opportunity could prove to be beneficial should the women begin tearing and clawing at each other rather than her. Maybe this is where they shred each other apart and Desdemona might have a fighting chance at making it out of here after all. She needed to find out where this was going fast and if she was going to need to take cover.

“Daughters, what is the meaning of this? I have bestowed each of you a gift that the three of you were supposed to share and take responsibility for only to have you throw back the kindness I’ve shown you back in my face!” Alcina’s booming voice in dungeon startled everyone in the room. The chamber door clicked open, exposing the rather imposing figure that belonged to Lady Dimitrescu. She scanned the room and glared at her three cowering daughters, carelessly throwing in another body into the room that she had been hauling behind her. Desdemona’s eyes widened in surprise when she recognized Veronica’s limp body curled on the ground.

“You know you’re supposed to take care of your pets and not let them rot in the cellar! Have I not taught you girls any manners or did I overestimate your ability to take care of this human you are all so fond of? Ugh, no matter, I have another task for you girls. You are to assist Karl with a project; he found an abandoned van not too far from the village and was able to tow it back to the castle. We found some of Desdemona’s belongings that I’m sure you all would be interested in.” Alcina said sweetly, smirking when her daughters expressed their delight at embarking on such a quest. Desdemona carefully approached Veronica’s resting form and knelt on the ground beside her, gently lifting her head and placing it on her lap. She gasped aloud when she saw how bruised and broken Veronica appeared, her hair disheveled as her skin was marred with darkened bruises and scars that indicated severe physical trauma. Veronica shifted in place and lifted a shaky hand in the air, her breathing slow and calm when she feels Desdemona’s fingers clasp together with hers.

 “What…what happened to you, V? You look like shit.” Desdemona teases, hoping to brighten her best friend’s mood somehow. Veronica smiles at Dezzy’s playful tone and lightly squeezes her hand. Veronica suddenly grimaces and turns her head to her side, her tongue rolling around against her cheek before she spits something out.

‘Wait, did she just spit out a tooth? What did Lady Dimitrescu do to you, Veronica?’ Desdemona sadly thinks to herself as she pulls Veronica closer until she’s settled comfortably on her lap.

“You know me, Dezzy, I don’t know when to shut the fuck up. She wants to break me and I want to irritate her until my very last breath; this relationship is in absolutely no way toxic.” Veronica says, coughing out blood when she tries to laugh through the pain.

“Mother, that loud-mouth with the gross blood is touching our plaything. May we slit her throat and hang her upside down until she bleeds out?” Cassandra asks with a sneer. Daniela is scowling at Veronica and she looks ready to pounce but she somehow manages to refrain from doing so after looking to her mother for any signs of approval. Thankfully, Alcina manages to look annoyed with the request more than anything.

“No, no, you girls will not touch what belongs to me. She was starting to bore me so throwing her in here for a day will allow me to recharge. I will, however, remind you that your new task needs to be done immediately so I suggest you find your dear Uncle Karl and help him with whatever he needs. I will tend to your pet and give her a bath. She and I need to have an important talk regarding your needs.” Alcina states as she glances over to Desdemona cradling her best friend in her arms.

“Mother, if Desdemona needs a bath, I would be more than happy to assist you in all matters that concern my beloved.” Bela offers, beaming when she gazes into Desdemona’s eyes.

The crestfallen expression on Bela’s face after Alcina politely rejects her offer has the other two sisters snickering in the back. Disheartened at the idea of Desdemona being handled in the bath by her mother, Bela disintegrates into a million insects and leaves the space. Her two sisters soon follow when their mother shoots them a knowing look.

Alcina’s attention now falls on Desdemona and the surviving Hawthorne twin feels her heart begin to race. She doesn’t quite know how to act around Lady Dimitrescu and judging by how broken Veronica looked, Desdemona figures she must continue to act submissive and demonstrate manners when she’s spoken to. Until she can come up with a formidable plan to escape the castle with her best friend in tow, Desdemona must continue to get to know Lady Dimitrescu and her three daughters better. She’ll eventually figure out what their weaknesses are by playing the long game.

“I guess I better get going, V. Please feel better soon and you know, try not to die.” Desdemona says as she places a gentle kiss on her friend’s forehead.

 Veronica scoffs and bats away at her in response.

“I can’t make any promises I can’t keep. You just do you until you know, find something worth finding out about and tell me all about it. Oh, and Dezzy,” Veronica says quietly as she watches her best friend cautiously approach Lady Dimitrescu, who had been observing their interaction with curiosity. “let it be known that you have the worst fucking luck in the world with women. Take care of yourself, yeah?”

Desdemona sighs at that and offers her friend a knowing smile. She’d spent most of her life being attracted to heterosexual women or women who were emotionally unavailable to her; she didn’t think she’d ever cross the line of the usual types she’s typically drawn to but here she was fighting for survival as a trio of dangerous vampires decided to lay their claim on her.

Des dares to look up at Alcina, who unfortunately had already been staring at her, and she gulps, picking up the pace to keep up with Lady Dimitrescu’s rather large strides. For the most part, Alcina does not engage in much conversation unless she felt the need to point something out about the mansion.

When they enter one of the guest bathrooms, Desdemona can’t help but be a little impressed at Lady Dimitrescu’s design choices. The exquisitely polished gold marble flooring stood out the most as two sinks lined up on both sides of the room, the cherry wood cabinets complimenting both the granite countertops and the glossy tile backsplash. Desdemona had to begrudgingly admit that Lady Dimitrescu had impeccable taste, her jaw dropping at the sight of a large bathtub sitting upon a platform in the center of the room.

Alcina wasted no time in stripping Desdemona of her ratty clothes after she had run enough hot water for her in the tub. The steam and warmth of the water was nearly enough to send Desdemona into a state of relaxation but then she remembered Alcina wanted to have an important discussion with her in private.

  “You know as well as I do that I do not care for humans. Your life has no meaning to me and should I wish to, I could cut you open at any given moment and offer any remaining part of you to the pigs after my daughters and I are through feasting on your corpse. The only reason you are being kept alive is because my daughters are growing fond of you. They’ve ever only known the company of family and the maidens they occasionally feed on so to see a blossoming…relationship between one of my daughters and her plaything is quite remarkable.”

Desdemona doesn’t dare say a thing as Alcina gently lifts her arms to scrub them. The word “relationship” is being tossed around so casually that it makes her wonder if any of these women knew what love was or if any of them were capable of forming attachments to other people.

When the smaller woman doesn’t reply, Alcina grips the back of Desdemona’s head and yanks it back so she could growl in her ear.

“You shall treat all my daughters as equals, pet. You will not favor one over the other two and you will do whatever it takes to keep them happy if you know what’s good for you. I care about my daughters and their happiness and if that means keeping you alive, you better damn well appreciate the gift I’m giving you by allowing you serve them. You shall spoil them, love them and show them affection because if word gets out that you’ve been a naughty little human that’s broken any of their hearts, I will gut you alive.”  

Desdemona feels her fists clench and unclench underneath the bath water at the mention of being gutted alive. A tear runs down her cheek at the disturbing memory of her twin brother’s bowels piling on the floor as Veronica’s screams echoed in the back of her mind. It was horrifying having to relive that particular memory over and over again.

‘You should tell her how much you hate her for killing Desmond. Stop being a pussy and stand up for yourself! Who cares if she beats you!? She murdered Desmond, you should be fighting tooth and nail for your freedom the way Veronica has been doing.’

With a shaky voice, Desdemona swallows her pride and nods in acquiescence to Lady Dimitrescu’s requests.

“I understand, my Lady. I will do whatever it takes to ensure that their needs are fulfilled and that they remain happy under my care.” Desdemona says after a tense moment.

Alcina smiles and releases the grip she had on the smaller girl’s head.

“Good, I’m glad we were able to clear that up like reasonable adults. After I’m done tidying you up, you will spend the night with Cassandra in her room. She has been upset ever since Bela told my other girls how you’d given her a phone full of pictures of you. For your sake, I sure do hope you plan on making it up to both Cassandra and Daniela; they’re starting to feel neglected.” Alcina tells her with a wicked smile on her face and Desdemona has to stop herself from groaning out loud.

She doesn’t necessarily have a plan to appease both Cassandra and Daniela but spending the night with Cassandra was a great starting point. It didn’t help matters that she was absolutely terrified of the sadistic vampire but perhaps it wouldn’t take much to charm her.

After the somewhat relaxing bath, Desdemona was left to her own devices to explore the mansion under the watchful eyes of Alcina. Cassandra’s bedroom wasn’t too far off from the hallway she was currently wandering through but the silence that followed her throughout the castle was still quite eerie. Desdemona’s hand reached for the golden doorknob in front of her when her ears are filled with uncontrollable giggling. She squeezes the knob and slightly turns it only to swat away at a few insects buzzing around her. Desdemona looks to her left and then to her right; there’s nothing on either side of her and so she takes a deep breath, wondering if she was slowly losing her mind the longer she stayed in the castle.

Opening the door, the next thing she sees is a black shadow with glistening white teeth lunging at her. “Rawr!”

Desdemona shouts and jumps back until she hits the wall behind her, her hand clutching at her chest as she tries to steady her heavy breathing. She’s not sure if she should be relieved to see that it was just Cassandra laughing at her reaction to the stupid jump scare but at least she wasn’t in immediate danger…maybe.

“Oh, you should see the look on your face – it’s priceless! Mmm, and just listening to the sound of your heart rapidly beating in your chest is lovely music to my ears. Fear thickens your blood and the thicker the blood, the sweeter it is.” Cassandra tells her, laughter now subsiding as she stands awkwardly in the doorway.

 “Is there a reason you came to visit little ol’ me or did you get lost on your way to find Bela?” Cassandra spits out Bela’s name with disdain and Desdemona knew she had to convince Alcina’s daughters that they all meant something to her, but she had to treat them all as equals as well.

 “I came to see you, actually. I wanted to spend some time with you and get to know you better since we got off the wrong foot at the beginning of all this.” Desdemona says uncertainly, peering over Cassandra’s shoulders to see if there was something she could work with if she managed to convince her to let her in.

Cassandra gives her a once over, her eyes lingering on certain parts of Desdemona longer than most and relents.

 “I do have a few questions about some of your belongings my dear Uncle Karl found in that hideous vehicle of yours. Now, I do occasionally dabble in the arts myself but these palettes you brought with you are utterly useless and too shiny for my liking! Explain this to me!” Cassandra exclaims as she leads a befuddled Desdemona into her room which was surprisingly ordinary considering the woman’s personality.

Desdemona was about to ask what she meant by shiny when her mouth suddenly hangs open at the sight of several expensive makeup palettes thrown and scattered about. Cassandra picks up a broken Pat McGrath eyeshadow palette and attempts to dip one of her makeup brushes in one of the colors and draws a sloppy line against the canvas she had set up on an easel in front of her.

‘Jesus fucking Christ, she’s trying to paint using your one hundred-and twenty-five-dollar eyeshadow palette.’ Desdemona thinks, desperately trying hard not to cry at the loss of something so precious to her.

Desdemona rolls her lips as she recognizes one of her favorite Morphe makeup brushes lying broken in half across the other side of the room. Cassandra had gone through her makeup bag and successfully destroyed at least a few hundred dollars worth of product. If survival wasn’t a big priority right now, Desdemona would have a mental breakdown over this. For now, she’ll be happy to take a rain check.

“So, I love your enthusiasm, Cassandra, and your idea to paint on a canvas using my makeup is really…creative. How about I show you how to do your makeup with what’s left?” Desdemona asks as she picks up a relatively intact kit that Cassandra paid no mind to.

Cassandra tilts her head in confusion.

“Why would I need makeup? You’re disgusted by the sight of me, aren’t you? I know I’m not as pretty or as smart as Bela, but you don’t need to go around telling me what I don’t already know!” Cassandra screeches, her hands wrapping around Desdemona’s neck and slamming her to the nearest wall. When Cassandra begins to apply a deadly amount of pressure, Desdemona had to act quickly.

“I-I just wanted to spend time with you, Cassandra! You’re beautiful without makeup, but seeing how much you like art, I thought you’d appreciate it a different way!” Desdemona manages to say, nearly coughing up a lung when Cassandra releases her.

The dark-haired woman eyes Desdemona suspiciously but she motions for the smaller girl to continue.

“I just thought maybe you’d want to partake in an activity we both would enjoy. It’s intimate and it would just be our thing, something that no one would take away from us. You’re already gorgeous, Cassandra, but this is a thing we could do for fun. Just you and me doing each other’s makeup...and maybe after we’ve gotten to know each other better, maybe we can just do each other.” Desdemona continues as she tries to double down on her flirtatiousness. She bats her eyelashes at Cassandra and her fingers begin to twirl the ends of her long, wavy dark brown hair.

Cassandra inhales Desdemona’s scent and rolls her eyes to the back of her head as if her blood were truly intoxicating in that moment. “Okay, I’ll let you do my makeup, Little One. Just…hurry up and let’s get to the part where we get to know each other better. I can’t wait to eat you all up once you let me, my pretty little plaything.” Cassandra whispers into Desdemona’s ear, her tongue leaving a wet trail from the nape of her neck to her collarbone. She enjoys the way the smaller girl shudders against her.

“R-right, let’s sit on your bed for a minute. I have some ideas and I’ll need your input. Your opinion is extremely important to me.” Des tells Cassandra, emphasizing how much she valued Cassandra’s contributions to their playdate activity, and it seemed to boost Cassandra’s ego.

Twenty minutes later after Desdemona had helped Cassandra clean her face, Desdemona straddled Cassandra and set herself to work on Lady Dimitrescu’s most insecure daughter. The smaller brunette was leaning closely over Cassandra and it was nearly too much for Cassandra’s senses. She was steadily growing impatient but there was something fascinating in the way Desdemona looked as she began doing her makeup. She looked focused, determined and when she fixed her brilliant gray eyes into Cassandra’s, there was a playfulness in the way she smiled at her. Cassandra felt her heart squeeze at the beautiful sight of her human sitting so peacefully atop of her. She did not want to ruin this moment but Cassandra hates holding back, whether its her feelings on something or when she’s out in the wilderness hunting, she needed to voice her thoughts.

“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met and I’m glad you got lost in our village. I’ve met all sorts of pretty maidens but they were all so boring and rude, always screaming at the sight of us and running away from us when we wanted to play hide and seek. Your blood is so tempting, I want to bite into your neck and rip out your throat but…this, spending time like this with anyone outside of my family is nice. You’re so sweet it makes me want to taste you, but you also make me want to be around you more in a way that doesn’t involve killing, maiming, or torture, if that makes sense.” Cassandra blurts out in a rush, her cheeks glowing pink underneath the dim light of the torches in her room.

 Desdemona pauses and takes a moment to let all that sink in. Cassandra is adorably awkward, or that’s how she would describe her if she weren’t also an intimidating immortal vampire that could snap her neck at the drop of a hat. Cassandra didn’t like the long awkward pause that formed between them, so she begins digging her sharp nails into Desdemona’s thighs and the smaller girl reacts.

‘Des, you need to stab her in the eye while she’s vulnerable or if she’s really a vampire, try stabbing her in the heart! Kill her, kill her the way they so ruthlessly killed your brother and be done with it. Fight your way out of here, goddamn it!’ Desdemona’s thoughts were overwhelming her and as much as she wanted to fight the creatures that were responsible for her brother’s death and Veronica’s misery, she knew she had to discourage such thoughts from frequently forming in her mind. This game couldn’t be won if she gave in to her baser desires.

“Is your tongue coated in honey, Cassandra? I’m a little embarrassed to admit this but no one has said such lovely things to me before. It makes me want to kiss you.” Desdemona flirts as she brings her hips down against Cassandra, causing the other woman to moan aloud at the intense contact she felt between them. “So…what’s holding you back? Kiss me!” Cassandra demanded, her hands snaking underneath Desdemona’s blouse as her hands explored every inch of skin that she had access to. Desdemona accidentally lets out a moan of her own and freezes, her hands finding Cassandra’s and pinning them above her head. Cassandra liked this darker side of Desdemona, it meant that they could play rough in the bedroom and her plaything would like it. This would be the last and only time Desdemona would top her though.

“I told you, you need to let me finish your makeup and then we’ll get to the fun stuff. Patience is a virtue.” Desdemona says, laughing when Cassandra huffs and crosses her arms in displeasure. The smaller girl bites her lip when she thinks to herself how cute Cassandra seemed but the thought quickly vanishes when images of Desmond’s bloodied corpse enters her mind again.

This was going to be a long game indeed.

[asphyxiateher]

Only Monsters Come Out at Night *Chapter 9 Update*

A/N: Desdemona's transformation is finally complete. She experiences several flashbacks of her former life before she finally accepts what's she become: a monster. Summary: I apologize for the delay and I would like to show my appreciation and gratitude towards those who patiently waited for this story to update. I don't have any other excuse besides school and work but I finally sat down and wrote this story in a way that I wanted Desdemona's story to end. Next chapter will be the final bonus chapter :') This one's a long update but it needed to be written.

The haunting shadow of death embraces Desdemona’s being as the infinite reaches of time itself teasingly taunts her soul in what she can only assume is the afterlife. She has lost sight in her eyes, but she can feel herself soaring into the empty void that eagerly awaits her. Desdemona can hear whispers, screams, and voices of the ones she loved once upon a time. Her thoughts consume her all at once and not at all and she’s beginning to wonder if she’s truly dead.

She’s drawn to familiar voices that she can hear to the right side of her and though she needs guidance, she’s able to follow the path that’s been laid out for her. Her fingers splayed out in front of her, she’s grabbing at air until she’s able to wrap her fingers around what feels like a doorknob. Desdemona takes a deep breath. She was nervous to discover what would await her once she opened the door. Being visually impaired fueled her fear of the dark so she was hesitant to twist the knob open at first.

After a moment of considering the alternatives, Desdemona swung the door backward and gasped at the revelation before her. Her lack of vision helped her anticipate the nothingness to come but what threw her off was the sound of music and sane giggling. She could hear Avril Lavigne’s Sk8er Boi blast from a portable stereo, a school bell ringing as if it were alerting her to go back to class, and the sounds of young girls taunting and teasing another girl.

“Desdemona, the dyke, at it again with her hideous clothes.” One girl sneered, turning her nose up at the sight of a young girl with long, wavy brown hair sitting on a bench outside of a familiar school.

Oh god, it was a memory! It was an unhappy one from her days in junior high school when Veronica hung out with the wrong crowd and Brielle Lawson was her tormentor. As much as she refused to replay the memory, she went still when images and colors finally began to swim in her head again. She was losing herself to a flashback she didn’t care to relive again.

As Desdemona mentally prepared to relieve her days in middle school, outside of the realm she created for herself when she died, her body was being transported somewhere in the real world. She was being carried by Alcina herself and was followed closely by her doting daughters. Alcina commanded Cassandra to open the door to their spa and Cassandra obeyed, silently following Daniella to their mother’s bathtub. The tub was filled with an unholy mixture of blood, chemicals, and other herbal ingredients that would cleanse Desdemona of her humanity. As they lay her body into the bubbling mixture, Alcina yanks Desdemona’s jaw open to carefully implant the cadou bug. It was the same creature that transformed her girls but with Desdemona, she decided to play around with her experiment to see what Desdemona would become.

She was very eager to find out what creature could influence Desdemona’s evolution.

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It’s the mid 2000’s and Desdemona Hawthorne became the target of Brielle Lawson, a popular girl that could easily charm her way out of trouble. Sounds horribly cliché but Desdemona and Brielle were just your average mortal enemies. Veronica wanted to be noticed and liked by everyone in eighth grade, so she often ditched Desdemona to hang out with Brielle more. They had one of their usual fights and they ignored each other for a bit, until Veronica started venting to Brielle about her former best friend and Brielle made up her mind about Desdemona without getting to know her. It was stupid, but usually most rivalries in middle school start out that way and you don’t realize it until you’re much older.

Veronica encouraged the jeering the moment she laid her eyes on her friend sitting all alone outside the cafeteria. She would make comments about how she dressed like a “homo” and Brielle would continue to make homophobic remarks about the way she dressed and supposedly looked at the other girls in the gym locker room. Normally, this wouldn’t bother Desdemona, but Veronica was supposed to keep her questioning sexuality a secret and when gossip about a student’s queerness got out, things would get vicious. Veronica started to realize her mistake when Brielle took it too far one afternoon.

“I’m surprised you’d want to be gay, Desdemona. Are you so ugly that when the boys decided what a total train wreck you are, you had to convert to lesbianism to get some attention?” Brielle and two of the girls that always accompanied her laughed, but Veronica began to look uncomfortable.

Desdemona swallowed.

“I’m not a total train wreck if I’ve got your attention, Brielle. Sorry, but you’re not my type. Keep trying though, it’s cute.” Desdemona quipped as she enjoyed the way the other girl flushed a satisfying red while her two friends snickered at the response.

“Oh, you – you think you’re funny. I-I wouldn’t be flattered anyway, I’m not a dyke!”

“Why would I care if you were or weren’t? Are you interested in me? I’m going to have to reject your advances again; I like girls with personality.” Desdemona delivered this line in an insouciant tone of voice that nearly sent Veronica into hysterics.

She spat out her water and turned her head so she could laugh into the sleeve of her hoodie. Brielle glared at her supposed best friend forever and turned her attention back to Desdemona who simply wanted to be left alone. She had nothing against Brielle, but the other girl wanted to rile her up so badly that she was starting to get irritated with the unwanted company. It didn’t help that Veronica’s presence was grating on her last nerve as well since she broke her promise about not outing her when she wasn’t ready for it.

“You queers are so mouthy; no wonder you people always get beat up and killed. You deserve it!” As soon as those words left her mouth, Brielle’s mouth dropped open as if she herself couldn’t believe she could say something so malicious.

She stumbles to follow up with something to say afterward, even as Veronica shoves her in anger.

“Yo, what the fuck?! I told you to take it down a notch, that’s not cool!” Veronica screeches, her eyes flitting back and forth between her best friend and Brielle.

Brielle stammers, unable to come up with anything. She stares in abject horror as Desdemona’s eyes fill with tears, a mixture of both rage and anguish causing her blood to boil. Desdemona quickly gets up and lunges at the girl standing before her, knocking both over to the ground.

“FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!” One of Brielle’s friends yells into the air, drawing the attention of a nearby group of bystanders.

Brielle grunted and fended off Desdemona’s attacks with ease as the other girl thrashed and tried to claw and scratch her face. She couldn’t say anything, but she spent the few minutes she was caught off guard listening to Desdemona’s wailing. There was a moment where Desdemona clutched at her collar and simply glared at her with fury dancing behind those gray eyes, her lower lip caught between her teeth. She looked beautiful.

Desmond rushed over to where the commotion was and immediately yanked his twin off the other girl, berating her for getting into a non-sensical fight. Veronica pulled Brielle to her feet and she seemed to be telling her something but she couldn’t hear what any of them were saying. She couldn’t keep her eyes off Desdemona, ignoring the drip of blood that clung to the side of her lip.

“V, you were supposed to look out for my sister! What’s your fucking deal?” He asks as he stands toe to toe with the other girl.

The teachers and other faculty members made it out to the yard and began to disperse the crowd. The principal forcibly pulls Desdemona away from the scene but not without glancing back over to Brielle who met her gaze. There was something charged in the air between them from that moment on but that’s not what sticks out the most to Desdemona from that memory. It’s the fact that no matter how many punches she threw at Brielle, the other girl never sought to hit her back. Brielle was being dragged away by their shared homeroom teacher, yet her eyes never left Desdemona’s retreating form.

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Desdemona’s eyes suddenly blink open, her mouth opening to scream when she realizes she still can’t see anything, but she swallows a mouthful of foul-tasting liquid that begins to fill her lungs instead. She starts thrashing about until her hands grip onto the edge of something that feels like a tub, and so she forcefully pulls herself up. Once her soaked form hits the cold air, Desdemona chokes out what feels like thick mud and purges that liquid from her system. She’s suddenly violently convulsing on what she assumes is cold marble flooring and she can’t seem to stop until she feels arms wrap themselves around her waist. “There, there darling, calm down, it’s only us. Daniela, bring me a towel. Our lovely Desdemona has finally awoken. Mother will be pleased.” Bela whispers soothingly into Desdemona’s ears.

Desdemona takes a few deep breaths, but she can tell that if she even attempts to speak, her throat would be scratchy and sore. Besides that, she wouldn’t even know what to say. She was supposed to be dead; Alcina Dimitrescu made sure of that…right?

She feels another feminine presence loom over her, and she startles when she feels dainty fingers skim across her skin. It was Cassandra.

“I’ve prepared the shower, let’s rinse our beloved Desdemona so we can finally enjoy the full sight of her. I will miss her perfectly exotic tan skin, she’s beginning to gray as if she were turning into one of us. Still beautiful, though.” She giggles madly, pressing a sloppy kiss to Desdemona’s forehead.

All of that sounded alarming to Desdemona but it hurt to breathe. She couldn’t risk having a panic attack now, not when she didn’t even know what was happening to her. She allowed the two sisters to carry her over to the shower to rinse off whatever it was that lingered on her delicate skin. When the barely lukewarm water makes contact with her skin, she hears a hissing noise that comes from atop of her head. In fact, her hair which is normally a lengthy dark mess of wavy brown hair, doesn’t feel normal to her at all. She shakily reaches upward towards her hair, and she whimpers when she feels a smooth yet slightly slimy tendril wrap itself tenderly around her fingers.

“Look at that, Bela, what a sight! Look at the beauties clamoring to meet their gorgeous mother for the first time. Both mother and Miranda will be pleased, don’t you think?” Cassandra asks as she coos at the creatures nestling into her hand for comfort and approval.

“I still don’t like the idea of mother presenting our Desdemona as a gift to Mother Miranda. Everyone knows Miranda likes to surround herself with weapons of mass destruction but Desdemona isn’t her toy. She belongs to us, and I already loathe the idea of sharing my beloved with you two numbskulls.”

Desdemona is forced to shut out their banter as she begins to process what the sisters have been saying this whole time. If she had a heartbeat, she was certain it would have dropped to the floor by now at the revelation that she had become something far more sinister than she could have imagined. Desdemona was in utter shock and as much as she wanted to grieve over the loss of her humanity, she couldn’t. Not when Daniela makes an appearance from behind her.

“Ohhh! She’s so perfect, mother should be proud! Move over, trolls, it’s my turn to bathe my lovely and beautiful Desdemona!” Daniela shrieks excitedly as she rushes over to envelop Desdemona’s still form in an embrace.

The girls begin to fight over who got to bathe her but Desdemona was no longer paying attention to the world around her. She was slowly losing herself to another memory that was coming on strong and she nearly faints at how surreal everything seemed the moment the vivid images and sounds came to mind.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the fight with Brielle, Desdemona had difficulty fitting in at school after word had gotten out that she was into girls. It wasn’t until school let out for the summer that everything changed. They were all entering their freshman year of high school and by this time, she had already made up with Veronica. It took months of Veronica groveling at Desdemona’s feet and doing everything she could to make up for her transgressions. In the end, Desdemona accepted her apology when she realized how dedicated V was to mending their friendship.

Taking a two and a half month break from school seemed to be the relief everyone needed after that particular exciting way of ending their eighth grade year. Desdemona and Veronica made up so that made the official start to the new year exciting. She vaguely remembers the moment she walked up the steps to her high school and how she had to suck in her breath when she glanced up. Brielle Lawson was standing near the mascot statue taking a few selfies with her friends and she was breathtaking, much to Desdemona’s dismay.

Brielle ran her fingers through her sleek jet-black hair and smirked, curious bright blue eyes trying to meet the gaze of the person she felt watching her from afar. She swallows hard when she recognizes Desdemona’s long brown waves and pretty doe eyes. Their fight seemed so long ago. Although Desdemona still feels a tinge of guilt for physically assaulting the other girl, that didn’t change the fact that what Brielle said in the heat of the moment wasn’t right. It’s a damn shame she was so pretty, like enticingly so. Desdemona had to remind herself of what the other girl said just a few months prior so she could seem less appealing. It only worked long enough so she could turn and walk away but of course she feels this strange compulsion to glance back at the other girl. Desdemona’s breath catches when she finds that Brielle is still staring at her with this indescribable look on her face.

Fast forward a few months, it turns out that Freshman year was going to be brutal especially if you were to share most of your classes with your crush who just happened to be your former bully. Brielle was considered to be very intelligent and well-spoken but Desdemona was unable to get past the surface since the two never directly talked to each other even though they were assigned to sit together in home room. It wasn’t until one day that Brielle came to class with her pet snake to homeroom for a show and tell that all the students were looking forward to. Brielle proudly displayed her baby reticulated python that happily wrapped itself around her arm and Desdemona was absolutely fascinated by it.

Brielle walked around the room showing it off to a few curious students and eventually, she stopped purposefully in front of Desdemona as the snake raised its head to look directly at her. Desdemona smiled and carefully reached out to pet the snake but she quickly retracted her hand and looked up the beautiful girl as if she were asking for permission.

“Go ahead, Gwendolyn is quite gentle if you don’t startle her.” Brielle murmurs, a brilliant smile forming on her lips when her snake began to move towards Desdemona.

Gwendolyn slithered up Desdemona’s arm and the younger Hawthorne twin giggled at the strange sensation of having a reptile make contact with her skin. Desdemona licks her lips and meets Brielle’s intense gaze when she realizes her homeroom partner wasn’t looking at the snake but at her instead.

“She’s beautiful.” Desdemona croaks out awkwardly but it seems to soften the expression on Brielle’s face.

That’s all it takes for the two girls to form an acquaintanceship throughout their freshman year. It didn’t become more complex than simply collaborating with each other on homework and working on group projects in other classes until Desdemona was invited to Brielle’s birthday party. Desdemona was pleasantly surprised but Brielle quickly assured her that she was just trying to get to know her better and that it was a simple ‘thank you’ for helping her with her English assignments throughout the year.

The party is in full swing and the other kids were simply enjoying themselves by taking advantage of Brielle’s pool and jacuzzi. Desdemona had gone to the bathroom to put on her bathing suit so when she opened the door to join the other kids in the backyard, she nearly yelped when she found Brielle waiting for her outside the door with Gwendolyn wrapped comfortably around her arm.

“Hey. Can I show you something real quick?” She asks, her face flushed red as she attempts to give Desdemona a subtle once-over. Desdemona swallows thickly and can only nod in response.

They retreat into her room which is dimly lit and beautifully decorated with tasteful decorations all around. The girls proceed to sit on the bed and when Brielle sets Gwendolyn down, the sassy snake decides to slither towards Desdemona and crawls all over her until she’s slightly wrapped around the other girl’s neck, lazily settling in and clearly enjoying Desdemona’s company.

“I think she likes you. I-I’m not surprised, you seem to have a way with her.” Brielle says quietly, the tension in the room becoming quite thick.

Desdemona coos at Gwendolyn and tickles her chin before she turns her attention back to the suddenly shy girl sitting beside her. Brielle tucks a stray lock of jet black hair behind her ear and glances down at the bed, clearly struggling to make eye contact with Desdemona.

“What did you want to show me?” Desdemona asks, uncertain of where this conversation was going.

“It’s more like I have to tell you something and it needs to be said before I lose my nerve. I know I wasn’t exactly the nicest person to you in junior high especially when I practically stole your best friend from you. I said some pretty mean things to you and you didn’t deserve any of the shit I gave you, like at all. When Veronica spilled the beans about you liking girls, it was like something clicked in my head and I suddenly felt bigger than you having that kind of ammo to use against you. I know it sounds stupid, but it makes sense now as to why I picked on you specifically for being into girls or whatever.”

Brielle takes a deep breath, her voice cracking a little as she decides to finally look up and gaze deeply into Desdemona’s soulful gray eyes. She reaches out and places her hand atop of Desdemona’s and gently gives it a squeeze.

“I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness for what I said when we got into that stupid fight, but I need you to know that I’m sorry. Nobody deserves to have that said to them at all and I was a complete dickhead for lashing out like that. You helped me realize something about myself that summer and not only did I want to properly apologize for those horrible things that I’ve said and done, but I wanted to thank you. I-I…I think I’m into girls too and…I may have been for a while, but just didn’t know it then.”

Desdemona inhales deeply as she tries to process the information that was being shared with her. On one hand, she was impressed with Brielle’s maturity and bravery for coming out to her but on the other hand, she was slightly concerned. She wanted to begrudge the other girl for allowing herself to repress her sexuality to the point she felt it was okay to pick on other queer girls just because she was insecure with her own identity, yet she wanted to forgive her even after all this time. It would be nice to not feel so alone anymore and to have that support system when the world would be against them.

After a tense moment of silence, Desdemona finally breaks the silence.

“I forgive you.”

“I have a huge crush on you, Desdemona.”

Desdemona’s eyes widen at the revelation and her body shivers from the chills that run down her spine. Brielle’s bright blue eyes flick to her lips for a moment before they bore into her soul the moment she meets her gaze.

Desdemona stammers for a response. She never expected a girl as beautiful as Brielle Lawson would ever develop feelings for somebody like her yet here they were.

“Y-you have a c-crush on me? I tried to fight you at the end of our eighth-grade year! Are you sure you like me like that?” Desdemona asks, looking completely bewildered.

Gwendolyn was getting restless the longer she remained perched around Desdemona’s neck so she slithers down her arm where Brielle’s hand remained connected to Desdemona’s. The snake happily coils its body where the girls intertwined their fingers together and that added to the intensity of the moment.

“What can I say other than I like cute girls that can kick my ass?” Brielle chuckles nervously, clearly trying to lighten the mood. Desdemona’s eyes fall to Brielle’s pink lips and makes a decision that would seal her fate from that day on.

She leans forward and Brielle seems to catch on quick, meeting her halfway for a shared first kiss that would send sparks flying between the two of them. It was gentle and sweet and everything that Desdemona could have ever hoped for in a kiss.

They eventually broke apart, Brielle pulling Desdemona closer to her so they could rest their foreheads against one another.

“Wow.” They both said breathlessly, laughing and enjoying the moment for a little bit longer before reality came knocking at the door.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Desdemona gasps when she feels razor sharp teeth bite into the back of her neck as her head is roughly pulled back. The slithering creatures nestled atop of her head hiss in disapproval and Cassandra’s maniacal laughing can be heard from behind her.

“The poor babies don’t like being handled so roughly. I do apologize my lovelies, but I couldn’t help myself.” Cassandra chuckles, licking and suckling the sensitive area around Desdemona’s earlobe.

Bela clung onto the opposite side of Desdemona’s body and her hands were exploring both her lower back and breasts, her fingers tweaking her sensitive nipples. She could hear the smile in Bela’s voice as she spoke.

“It’s good to know that our Desdemona remains the same and that she hasn’t fallen prey to Miranda’s grand scheme of things. What a lovely turn of events.” She whispers softly into Desdemona’s other ear, cupping her chin and pulling her in for a deep kiss.

Desdemona finds herself blindly reaching for someone to grab onto when she feels someone kneel in front of her, cold hands spreading her legs apart. She grips onto bare shoulders as she slightly leans forward, her fingers brushing against thick tresses of hair.

“Looks like dinner is served, and I so do love a delicious, rare steak!” Daniela growls out before she latches onto Desdemona’s exposed core with her mouth and teeth.

She moans aloud when Daniela eagerly explores her with her tongue, her lips briefly latching onto her clit which nearly sent Desdemona into a frenzy. The sensations of being touched and kissed all over by both Cassandra and Bela on top of what Daniela seemed to be doing to her down there made her feel light-headed about the whole thing.

Her moans were reaching a fever pitch and she was quickly spiraling towards a violent orgasm but then the group of women hear the terrifyingly familiar sound of heels clicking in the background somewhere.

Much to her disappointment, Daniela releases Desdemona from her grasp and she quickly stands to attention. Bela’s arm wraps itself around her waist as if to keep her steady and Cassandra simply places a hand on her shoulder. Though there was no reason to keep her eyes shut since she couldn’t see anything anyways, two thick tendrils of hair glide over her eyelids protectively anyway.

Alcina strides into the room confidently and Desdemona could tell she was appraising her accordingly. It was frustrating not knowing what she looked like anymore and from the way the other women were describing her, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

“The transformation is complete it seems, and I can tell the experiment didn’t go well in Miranda’s favor. She is not the vessel we all thought she could be, but she reminds me of something or someone. I can’t quite put my finger on what she reminds me of, but it’ll come to me sooner or later. Does she have any unusual abilities that came with the physical changes?” Alcina asks as she steps closer to Desdemona.

“She’s visually impaired but that heightened her senses as expected. She’s simply not used to being completely blind yet. Her crown of snakes protect her line of sight; they refuse to reveal what’s become of her eyes. The snakes could have well plucked out her eyeballs without our knowledge.” Bela states matter-of-factly. “I wonder what she’s capable of. I’ll be the guinea pig for the now and once I get a feel of her abilities, we’ll have her deal with the maids we no longer care to employ. Are you ready to show me what you’re made of, my pet? You’ll obey me and my daughters as we brought you into our world and we may very well take you out. Reveal yourself to me at once!” Alcina commanded. Desdemona wasn’t sure what to expect but no longer could she hear the dark whispers in her mind telling her to let go. She simply obeyed Alcina’s command.

Her loving pets begin to slide away from her face and what happens next instills a new level of terror within her. She opens her eyelids but just as she does so, her jaw slackens and opens wider than she ever thought was possible. The ground begins to shake terribly, a horrifying screeching sound escaping her throat as an invisible vortex of energy sucks in whatever lifeforce remains in the room.

Alcina and her three daughters begin to scream in pain, their flesh being torn apart the longer they stared into Desdemona’s abysmal golden eyes. Bela felt her skin slowly form to stone while her sisters’ flesh was being ripped apart and she started to panic.

“I COMMAND YOU TO STOP!” Both Bela and her mother cried out and almost immediately, Desdemona’s jaw snaps shut and her beloved snakes cover her eyes once more.

Faster than the speed of light, Desdemona leaps onto the nearest wall and quickly crawls upward towards the chandelier on the ceiling and perches herself besides it, a hand gripping onto the base of it. She can hear the flutter of a thousand flies below her, unable to sense any warm body temperatures but she can feel Alcina and her daughters staring up at her in both terror and awe. Her snakes began to secrete slime again and she could feel a drip of the venomous liquid fall to the floor. The venom they release is so toxic, the spot in which it landed began to melt away the cold marble floor. Desdemona was fascinated by the satisfying way it sizzled but more so by the way the stench of putrid acid and radiated waste clung to the air.

Bela, Daniela, and Cassandra whimpered in pain, but they were mostly alright. Their wounds would eventually heal over time. They glanced up at the girl who appeared to be staring at them in curiosity even though they knew she couldn’t really see them. Bela grunted when she was finally able to move her fingers, the stone particles on her skin peeling away a bit painfully.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, mother. Should we risk exposing Desdemona’s abilities to Miranda or perhaps you’re having second thoughts?” Cassandra asks, her hands visibly shaking as she continued looking up at Desdemona in wonder. A wicked smile plays on her lips after a long moment.

Alcina’s claws protruded defensively but were affected by the way Alcina mistakenly looked into Desdemona’s deadly eyes. They were partially turned to stone so it was quite difficult getting the claws to retract but it would be possible for her to recover from the incident later on.

The girls expected their mother to be furious at Desdemona for nearly demolishing them in that moment, but her reaction was quite the opposite. Alcina smirked at Desdemona and beckoned her to come closer.

Desdemona releases the base of the chandelier and gracefully lands on the floor below her. She slowly approaches Lady Dimitrescu and bows her head in shame. Alcina laughs and cups Desdemona’s chin so she could examine her guarded face more closely.

“She’s too perfect for Mother Miranda’s tiresome schemes. She’s the ultimate weapon of mass destruction but she belongs to me now. From now on, Desdemona Hawthorne is the dead name of your former life. You will answer to Medusa and you will pledge your unwavering fealty to me. Do you understand me?” Lady Dimitrescu declares.

Desdemona lifts her head and uncharacteristically reaches out for Lady Dimitrescu. The other woman obliges Desdemona’s request for contact and feels Desdemona squeeze her palm in response to her question.

“I am yours to command, Mistress. I will defend your House and all those loyal to you with my life.” Medusa whispers, a bloody tear making its way down her cheek.

Once again, Medusa feels herself become light-headed when memories of her former life begin to creep up on her. This time, as she finally says goodbye to her humanity, these memories are of when her and Brielle decided to split up before their senior year of high school began.

***** It was a beautiful, cold evening and the girls sat back-to-back atop of a water fountain in the middle of their favorite park. It was chillier than expected and Desdemona had forgotten to bring a sweater with her. Brielle decided to just give her a hoodie that had been her absolute favorite.

When Brielle’s father had gotten a call that he and the unit he led were being sent to another country, he decided to take his entire family with him. Brielle’s father worked for a confidential government agency that seemed similar to the military but they dealt with matters that were far more dangerous than your usual terrorist suspects. With Racoon City incidents popping up more frequently than ever, it was clear that the world they knew was in turmoil.

Brielle made it clear that she wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps to protect and serve the people she loved dearly and Desdemona couldn’t understand the logic behind her reasoning. Actually, it seemed more like she didn’t want to.

“I’ve decided to undergo training with my father before he sends me off to the academy where he received his specialized education from. If you knew about the things that he’s seen and dealt with, you’d know why this is so fucking important to me. It’s a calling that I can’t ignore, Dezzy, and I need you to understand that this is for the best. It’s not like I’m going to stop talking to you either; I love you more than anything in this world and I promise I will write, call and text you every chance that I get.” Brielle says after a long moment of awkward silence. Desdemona scoffed, her heart aching at the very thought of them breaking up after being together for so long. Almost everybody she knew wanted to sign up for the military after what happened in Raccoon City and this noble calling that everybody heard whenever something tragic happened was a concept she couldn’t comprehend. Maybe she was letting her emotions cloud her judgment because she loved Brielle so much. Deep down, she knew she had to let her go because it was what Brielle wanted and she couldn’t force her to stay, no matter how much she desperately wanted her to stay.

Brielle moved to where she was now kneeling in front of Desdemona and she reached out to cup her cheek, tears forming behind those beautiful bright blue eyes she’s grown to love so much. Desdemona cherished the touch and placed her own hand atop of Brielle’s.

“Breezy, I love you. You know I will never stop loving you.” Desdemona choked out a sob, unwilling to say anything else lest she break down into an incomplete, broken mess.

“I love you too, Dezzy. Trust me when I say I’m doing this for us. I will do everything in my power to prevent this world from falling apart so when I come back, we can get married and build our own little sausage dog and snake sanctuary that we’ve always talked about.” Brielle says with a laugh, enjoying the way Desdemona smiles through her tears.

“What if I’m a completely different person when we see each other again? What if I’m already married and moved on with my life?” Desdemona asks quietly as she too enjoys the slight flash of jealousy in her girlfriend’s eyes.

“I’ll kick the other bitch’s ass and make you fall in love with me all over again. I’ll never stop fighting for you Desdemona because you are so worth the effort. Right now, where my father goes, I need to go. He loves you too, you know and so does my mom. You’re part of our family and when I come back, I promise we’ll start working on our own.”

By this time, Brielle has lifted Desdemona to her feet and has wrapped her arms around her waist while Desdemona’s arms encircle Brielle’s neck.

They’re swaying to the sound of music that’s been playing on Brielle’s phone for awhile now and Desdemona is drowning in all sorts of emotions. She doesn’t want to let the love of her life go, but eventually all good things must come to an end.

Brielle is talking to her but she can’t hear what’s she saying. All Desdemona hears is the sound of an insecure little voice in the back of her mind telling her how worthless she is. This voice reminds her how much of a nobody she is and how she’s never truly made an impact on anyone’s life before. People like Brielle and her brother Desmond are out there making something of themselves and all she’ll ever be is this whiny nobody that nobody could ever love.

Desdemona cries softly and pulls Brielle closer in their embrace, enjoying the warmth radiating from the other woman. Nobody would be able to love her the way Brielle did and Desdemona never wanted to forget that feeling. They had never gotten physically intimate with each other due to Desdemona’s discomfort but that night, Desdemona promised to save herself for her should they meet again and although it had been a few years, they did keep in contact for a long time. You never forget your first love but the moment she bonded with Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters, it seemed like she couldn’t relive memories of her former life.

For some reason, these memories were bearing down on her with full strength after her transformation and what that meant, Medusa didn’t know but she was concerned. There was a strong possibility that she had to keep her guard up for the storm to come and that she would have to be prepared to her lay her life down for House Dimitrescu.

[asphyxiateher]

Only Monsters Come Out at Night

A/N: Debating on whether or not I should put this on AO3. Thoughts? Do I need to edit what I have before posting on my favorite website? Anyways, I’m really into horror and I’d like to try my hand at focusing on MC’s descent into madness while falling for her captors. Dimitrescu Sisters x OFC (Desdemona) Summary: Desdemona, her twin brother and best friend are on vacation in Romania when things go horribly wrong the moment they run out of gas. Desdemona has the misfortune of enchanting the monsters that decided to terrorize her group. 

        It was a cold, pitch black night in the northeastern mountainous region of Romania, a heavy fog enveloping the roads which made it nearly impossible for any source of light to pierce through the gloom. This did not bode well for Desdemona and her friends as they dared to venture through the treacherous weather in order to reach their destination. The humble village of Bran should have been a welcome sight by now although from where the unlucky travelers were currently stranded, Desdemona had her doubts. To make matters worse, her best friend, Veronica, shoved a crumpled map of Brasov, Romania into her boyfriend’s hands and demanded answers. Her hot-headed friend was teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown.

“Desmond, are you sure we’re headed in the right direction? None of this seems to make sense!”, Veronica exclaimed as she nervously rummaged through her shoulder bag for yet another cigarette. She struggled to light her cigarette this time, the harsh winter’s wind blowing hard against her bare hands caused them to shake violently.

 Desmond sighed in exasperation and ran his fingers through his messy chestnut brown hair, pushing wild dark curls away from his eyes.

“You think the shopkeeper gave us the wrong directions to fuck with us because we’re tourists? I knew we were gonna get shit signal out here in the bum fuck middle of nowhere but come on, the old guy looked knowledgeable. Can’t blame me for trustin’ him.” Desmond casually replied with a shrug. He then took a moment to straighten the map again before folding it neatly and tucking it into his pocket.

Desdemona was of the same mind as her twin. It seemed likely that the locals would be completely burnt out from the flocks of American tourists invading their hometown just to squawk about the castle that inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula. How exhausting it must be to constantly point out where to go to book a tour or who to call to arrange such things when the internet exists. In hindsight, Desdemona should have known better than to bug the polite yet obviously impatient shopkeeper about their vacation plans.

“Think about it, V, Desmond has a point. The guy probably gave us the run around for shits and giggles. You know, it would have been fine taking a wrong turn and then having to backtrack all the way back into town, but we should have just stayed the night at the Inn. Now we’re outta gas and it’s fucking freezing out here.” Desdemona added, now hugging herself tightly and occasionally rubbing her arms to keep warm for as much as possible.

Veronica growled but relented as she took a long drag of her cigarette, her foot resting against their rented vehicle. She took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. Snowflakes began to drift downwards, and it only fueled Veronica’s anxiety about being stranded in the middle of nowhere in the dark. “Alright, alright, we can either freeze to death in this piece of shit,” Veronica began as she kicks the van for good measure, “or we can freeze to death out there looking for shelter. I think I see a path over there that we can take to find what we need. It might lead us to people who can help us, or it might lead us to certain death. All I know is that we need to make a decision now, it’s starting to snow.” Desmond grins and wraps his arm around Veronica’s waist, pulling her close and pecking her on the cheek. “To certain death it is! Des, grab the essentials and let’s head out. According to the map, there are a few small villages in the surrounding area. Chances are we’ll stumble into one of them eventually and find shelter. We’ll get this mess sorted out.” Desmond eagerly stepped away from Veronica’s embrace and stepped towards the beaten van.

After a few moments of scrounging around for what they deemed important, Desdemona ended up with a backpack full of snacks, water, spare clothes, and the first aid kid. Veronica settled for an entire carton of cigarettes and a few spare lighters because you know, it was “absolutely essential” to her survival in a foreign land. Desmond found a flashlight and decided that going light would be preferable to him in case they ran into any trouble. They paved the way forward, following the path that strayed away from the lonely sliver of road. Turning back to get a final look at the abandoned van, Desdemona swallowed the surge of fear that was beginning to creep up on her. She had seen enough horror movies in her lifetime knowing that this probably wasn’t going to end up well for her little group. The logical side of her brain, what little rational thoughts she had left, gnawed their way through her brain begging to be voiced out and heard.

‘Turn back around, it’s safer to stay put and wait until morning! This is dangerous and you know it!’

Desdemona reluctantly glanced back at her brother walking ahead with Veronica hand in hand and the younger twin suddenly stopped in her tracks. Maybe she should stay behind just in case while her gregarious brother searched for help in these mountains; after all, he was far more easygoing and could easily charm the most stubborn of fools into helping him.

“Des, what’s wrong? I thought we all agreed that we should stick together.” Veronica called out to her, uncertainty lacing her tone as her eyes flicked back and forth between the van and a terrified looking Desdemona.

Nervously fidgeting in place, Desdemona struggles to settle the conflicted thoughts warring in her mind. She knows that staying behind and waiting for help would be the wisest course of action, but there was safety in numbers. There’s danger lurking beyond the vast expanse of mountains that surrounded them and she would be utterly defenseless if left alone. Desdemona’s instincts were begging her to go back to the van but the connection she shared with her twin demanded that she follow him through the sketchy path that would most likely lead to their demise. She couldn’t let anything happen to Desmond, she would never forgive herself if something happened to him out here.

With a shaky resolve, Desdemona straightened up and gazed back at Veronica with a small smile on her face. “I’m just nervous, you know. Desmond and I binge watched all the Wrong Turn movies last Saturday so being out here alone in the dark is uh, freaking me out a little. I’ll be fine, though, let’s just keep going.” Desdemona lied as she rushed over to her best friend who rolled her eyes at the revelation.

“No wonder you’re acting all sketch, Des. First of all, binge watching horror movies the weekend before your vacation was stupid as hell so now you’re all hyped up over nothing. Secondly, Wrong Turn sucks. Y’all should have binged Hatchet, Danielle Harris is so hot!” Veronica declared, eager to get conversation going as the three of them trekked through a rocky and narrow trail that led to who knows where.

Desmond was quick to reply in defense of his favorite horror movie franchise and Desdemona was thankful to hear them bicker back and forth. The conversation drowned out the sound of cold whispers tickling naked branches in the distance, the loud crunching of their footsteps on the snow-covered ground, and ravens crying out above them. It was so eerie and something about it all didn’t sit right with Desdemona. She hooked an arm around Veronica’s free arm and together they discussed their favorite horror movies. Veronica could tell her best friend was still a little spooked, so she pulled her closer until she was pressed against her side to provide as much comfort as she could give.

The trail continued to narrow the further they moved along but nothing they observed thus far gave the impression that that anything was out of the ordinary. When they reached a clearing, Desmond sighed with relief. His breath steaming the frigid air was nearly the only thing they could see ahead if it weren’t for the flashlight providing what little comforting light source they had. The snow fall began to pick up the pace but it wasn’t blinding, thankfully. Desmond brushed aside large shrubs and stepped further into the winding path, coming to a full stop when he realized what lay ahead of the weary travelers.

The trio stared in awe at the overpowering sight of a 15th century castle looming over a quiet village sheltering underneath a blanket of darkness, or what Desdemona assumed was its shadow. No amount of fog could hide the monstrosity that was the architectural brilliance of this castle that Desdemona saw before her very eyes.

“Desmond, honey, where the hell do you think you’re going? Don’t leave Dezzy and I behind!” Veronica suddenly shrieked as she sprinted after her overly excited boyfriend down the hill that led into the village. Desmond turned around and could only offer a sheepish smile with a shrug before eagerly running into the unknown. Desdemona tore her gaze away from the castle and spurred into action, jumping and running as fast as she could in order to catch up with her twin.

Desmond was energized by both the cool crisp air and the promising sight of civilization, but that energy was quickly drained out of him when he encountered something wholly unexpected. Veronica reached the eldest Hawthorne sibling and was about to admonish him for leaving the two frightened girls behind, but she was quickly shushed by Desmond. Desdemona quietly approached the scene, her eyes widening when she realized that this was not the village of Bran at all.

They had indeed reached a small village but it looked completely obliterated. The houses looked shattered and broken, as if something gigantic and menacing had come through and picked away at the people that once inhabited this community one by one. Desmond cautiously led the group forward, calling out for any signs of survivors. This wasn’t on the itinerary…

Veronica was on the verge of tears, her hands covering her mouth as she observed the tragic scene before her. Every now and then, she would step into a broken home and call out to somebody – anybody- only to step back out with a grim look on her face. She pulled out her cell phone and attempted to dial emergency services only to be met with disappointment.

“There’s blood.” Desmond says quietly. His eyes peer over the trail of fresh blood and fear grips him the moment the flashlight scans over the corpse of a rotting horse. “Fuck, that stench – we need to get the fuck out of here now!” Veronica cries, gagging and turning away from the horrific view.

Desdemona would have expressed an equally strong reaction had she not felt a sense of…wrongness abruptly assaulting the atmosphere. The moment they stepped foot into the village, the environment reacted to their presence and that did not sit right with Desdemona at all.

“Desmond, do you hear that?” Desdemona asked, her voice laced with terror. Desmond Hawthorne heard the fear in his sister’s quivering voice and it made him feel uneasy. “I don’t hear anything, Des.” He replies as he reaches for Veronica’s hand and squeezes it tight. The couple began to frantically look around them as they slowly backed into Desdemona. As soon as they grouped up again, both Veronica and Desmond wrapped themselves around the youngest sister. The oppressive silence sent a whole new wave of fear over the group before something insidious could be heard approaching them in the distance. Desdemona gasped when she heard maniacal giggling and it was getting louder. A fluttering of what sounds like wings -bats, ravens, perhaps- advancing towards the group sent chills down Desdemona’s spine. What the hell was coming after them?

Desmond flashed his light from side to side before it settled on the massive black ball of insects that instantly appeared before him. The insects dissipated and somehow revealed the shape of a human being wearing a dark robe and hood. The only thing he could truly make out was the color of a red pendant wrapped around dainty, pale skin and a blood smeared smirk. Desmond’s heart dropped in absolute horror and panic immediately set in.

“RUN!” He screamed, taking off with a terrified Veronica in tow. Neither of them looked back to make sure Desdemona was following. The flashlight dropped, and it briefly circled the ground. The flickering light revealed two other black masses of insects approaching the younger Hawthorne sibling who was paralyzed with fear. All she could hear in that moment was delirious laughter coming from the women that revealed themselves two seconds later, the insects dissolving into thin air right before her very eyes.

The crazed woman standing directly in front of Desdemona leaned forward and took her time sniffing her pretty prey who stared at her with petrified gray eyes. Desdemona found it alarming that despite the lunatic’s appearance, dried blood caked on her lips and unruly red hair and a wild, untamed look in her eyes, she found her quite…striking. Perhaps she was going mad. None of this made sense, how could this be happening right now?

“Mmm, sisters, look at what I found. Such a pretty young thing all for me and she smells oh so delicious.” The woman with the green pendant spoke, giggling madly at the profound effect she had on Desdemona.

 “Daniela, you’re delusional, she’s mine; I’m the one who picked up on her tasty scent!” The one with the red pendant spoke after she turned her attention to the only human who didn’t run from them.

The brunette with the yellow pendant reached over and yanked on Desdemona’s hair so hard back, Desdemona thought her life was over. She bared her teeth as she skimmed her nose across the young woman’s neck. Her tongue darted out between blood smeared lips and left a wet trail, causing the smaller woman’s breath to hitch at the unwelcome contact.

“Mmm, she smells so utterly divine. Bela, by the way, it wasn’t you who found MY new pet, it was me! You ungrateful wretches always want to touch what’s mine!” The hooded figure’s grip on her hair tightened and Desdemona whined, causing all three women to delight in her torment.

What Desdemona couldn’t figure out was what they wanted to do with her exactly and why they were fighting over her like three starved wild dogs fighting over a piece of meat. She needed to get out of there fast. “LET GO OF MY SISTER, YOU UGLY CUNTS!” Desmond’s angry voice broke through in the distance and all three creatures turned their attention on the young man who dared interrupt dinner time.

Desdemona decided this was the time to take advantage of their distraction and she quickly slipped away, sprinting as fast as she could to the nearest unoccupied house. Desmond, relieved that his sister broke free from whatever those things were, spun on his heel and ran the opposite direction. He could only hope that all three of them would make it out of this godforsaken village alive.

All three women threw their heads back and laughed wildly into the air as they knew catching their prey would be much more satisfying when they caught them alone in isolated surroundings. It added to their fear and it made the blood taste that much sweeter.

“The hunt is on, sisters. Leave the pretty plaything alive, but the others, we will present to our dear mother as gifts. We’ll make the new pet watch mother undo their very lives; it’ll only make her that much more delicious when we have our fill.” The one with the yellow pendant stated as she sniffed at the air, shuddering when Desdemona’s irresistible scent filled her nostrils once more.

Desdemona found refuge in a large house a few yards away and slammed the front door shut when she ran inside. She quickly assessed what she assumed was the living room, she found a bookcase and summoned whatever strength she had and brought it down in front of the door. She heard something clawing at the door the instant she blocked the entrance, the door shaking violently and mad laughter filling her ears once more.

Desdemona shakily reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, turning on the flashlight and began to look for another way out.

‘Jesus fucking Christ, Jesus Christ! What the fuck are those things!? Where’s Desmond? Is Veronica alright? How the hell do I get out of here? I just want to go home!’ Desdemona’s mind was running through a million thoughts per second but she couldn’t for the life of her settle on anything that would give her a moment’s peace. She was sobbing uncontrollably as she explored the dark home, her hands stretched out in front of her as she searched for anything that would provide answers to her problems. When she found a door near the kitchen, she cautiously opened it and cursed the eerie creaking sound that followed. It was discovered that the door led to a cellar of some kind and Desdemona rushed down the stairs without closing the door behind her. She slowly scanned the large open space and saw that this home had been recently ransacked or rummaged through. Clothes were scattered across the floor, furniture had been broken in half and tossed carelessly to the side but Desdemona found a hallway beyond the room she was in. ‘That must be the way out. Hurry up and grab something to protect yourself with!’

Desdemona carefully tip toed around the clutter, her phone flashing from side to side but to no avail, she couldn’t find anything that would prove harmful to whatever those monsters were outside. The woman nearly tripped over and fell when her foot stepped in something thick and wet, causing her foot to slip forward. Desdemona quickly steadied herself on a cabinet but it didn’t make her feel any better when she realized her fingers were covered in a thick, red substance.

Her breathing growing heavier, Desdemona flashed her phone light over to the cabinet only to find that it was covered in blood – a lot of it, to be exact and it was still dripping on the floor as though it were fresh.

All color drained from Desdemona’s face when she heard pained howling coming from the village; it was Desmond and he was screaming for help. Her twin was in danger and here she was selfishly trying to find a way to preserve her own life.

She quickly twisted around to run towards the howling but she stopped dead in her tracks when a black mass of insects appeared before her. The cloaked figure could only be identified by the color of her green pendant and a delirious smile plastered on her face. Fresh blood dripped down her chin and Desdemona’s eyes reluctantly followed the pool of blood forming at their feet. There was a sickle in her right hand and it was covered in blood, much to Desdemona’s dismay.

Desdemona began to tremble, overpowered by the frightening sight and the implications that followed a bloodied sickle carried by a madwoman. “The sound of your heart hammering against your chest is like music to my ears, pretty thing. Do not fret, my beauty, the moment we met I knew you were special. You’re meant to be mine, we’re meant to be!” She whispers madly, her tongue wetting her lips as her eyes rake over Desdemona’s body slowly and deliberately.

Desdemona doesn’t know what she’s talking about and she doesn’t want to know. Before she could form any kind of response, she’s pinned against the bloody cabinet behind her. She gasps in surprise and that seems to trigger the creature into action.

Desdemona screams as the hooded woman lunges at her collarbone and pierces through her skin with her razor sharp teeth. Desdemona weakly clutches at the woman’s shoulders, growing lightheaded from the sudden blood loss that was occurring. Feeling the woman about to collapse in her arms, Daniela pulls back and savors the taste of her blood. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she sloppily licks the blood off her mouth and regains what little self-control she had left to preserve her pretty plaything for a little while longer.

When dazed gray eyes meet hers, Daniela’s cold, black heart skips a beat. She had never seen anything more beautiful. So she raises her sickle, causing Desdemona’s eyes to widen in panic and Daniela can’t help but giggle a little.

“Don’t worry, my beauty, I’ll be gentle with you. The hideous man-thing and his bitch aren’t going to be as lucky as you, I hope. You deserve special treatment.” Daniela whispers, her fingers caressing her prey’s tear-stained cheek before swinging the sickle with full forced into the back of Desdemona’s thigh.

Desdemona remembers a high-pitched shriek escaping her but nothing else seems to come to mind after that. She remembers her vision blurring and a creeping darkness soothing her to sleep but what happened after, nothing. She enters the haunting abyss that welcomes her with black tendrils pulling her from reality, sleep coming to her easily. With better luck, she’ll never have to wake up again.

Only fools believe in luck as the nightmare has only just begun.